The Beast Within
by Nifty Niffler
Summary: On October 31, 1981 two pivotal events changed Harry Potter's life forever. NOTE: Some liberties have been taken with the werewolf aspect in the HP universe. I've changed it a bit to better suit the story I want to write. And, yes, I use some werewolf cliches.
1. Chapter 1

Two men stood just at the edge of the village. One was tall, bald, pale to the point of death with a lean wiry frame. Two things made this man stand out amongst others. Over time his usage of the Dark Arts flattened his nose until it was practically nonexistent. Red eyes disdainfully watched the village children scurrying to and fro in costumes collecting candies from neighbors. When he spoke, it was in a high-pitched, almost hissing voice.

"Soon it shall be done. Soon I shall be free." Turning to his partner, he continued. "When I have succeeded, you may feast upon them all."

The second man, shorter with gray scraggly hair down to his shoulders, a lined face and steel gray eyes, smiled an evil smile.

"I so love children."

"Yes, well, go. The moon will be coming up soon. Make sure you're far enough away from me before you change. I'd really hate to have to kill you."

The shorter man smirked and slunk off into the fading light of the setting sun.

Voldemort stepped forward and strode purposefully toward the sanctuary housing the Potter child. He had no understanding of how this weak little half-blood child could best him but it was better to err on the side of caution. _Destroy the enemy before the enemy had the opportunity to destroy you. _That was one thing he'd learned and learned well. He felt tempted to strike down one of the filthy muggle kids but steeled himself against the urge. Greyback would soon take care of them all. He, Voldemort, just needed to finish what he'd come for before the werewolf began his killing spree.

Reaching the two-story home, Voldemort didn't hesitate. Drawing his wand, he blew apart the door. A quick curse later and the enemy's father hit the floor, lifeless. The mother had grabbed the child and run upstairs. _Stupid muggle-born. Does she think she can win against me? She'll learn her lesson. It's a shame she won't be around to appreciate it._ He laughed a high-pitched, maniacal, almost gleeful laugh.

He cornered her in the child's nursery. She'd put him in his crib and stood facing him defiantly. A small, hidden part of Voldemort's inner being admired her grit, for standing up to him, for refusing to abandon her child. Tired of the game, Voldemort's wand flashed and she, too, lay upon the floor, eyes glassy and unseeing.

"Finally, we come face to face, Harry Potter." He stared into eyes so like his mother's. "Finally, I will be free."

His wand flashed a final time. Just as the putrid green spell reached the little boy, a white light flashed, bouncing the spell harmlessly off the toddler. The spell rebounded at triple the speed leaving the wand.

"WHA-?"

It was all Voldemort had time to say before being hit by his own curse. A terrible explosion rent the air, the force of it sending little Harry Potter against the back of his crib causing him to cry out. When next he stood, he seemed unhurt but for a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead just above his right eye. Screams of terror reached his little ears by way of the massive hole in the house not far from where his crib stood. Something snarled below, a great ripping sound then a howl. It scared little Harry enough he started to cry.

0000

He truly did love kids. They were just so easy to take down. He killed. He bit. He infected others. Instinct told him he needed to move quickly before danger appeared. He heard the cry of a young child somewhere above him. Looking up, he saw a gaping hole in the side of a house. That's where the cry originated. Bounding through the open doorway of the house, he headed for the stairs, his long wolf legs making short work of the staircase.

Slinking into the doorway of the nursery, a large gray wolf appeared, eyes transfixed on the kid in the crib. This was no ordinary wolf, however. He was Greyback, feared werewolf of the wizarding community, well-known for purposefully staying near humans so he could attack them. He also seemed to take special glee from attacking children. Now, he had blood on his muzzle and all down his chest and forelegs from his previous activities.

The child's terror-filled eyes spurned on Greyback's advances. The boy's cries were music to the werewolf's ears. This one was special, something told him. An extra sharp thrill shivered through him. Standing just outside the crib now, he opened his mouth, snarling, a deep growl escaping his throat. His fangs glistened in the light of the full moon. Outside, screams still tore through the air. Sounds of spells being cast reached the gray beast's ears and he knew he had to be quick.

Suddenly, he lunged forward and managed to sink some teeth into the tender flesh of the child's left shoulder. He gloried in the taste of the blood, warm and cascading from his jaws to the bed. After a long moment, he let go and disappeared through the hole in the wall, onto the roof of the porch and away just as a barrage of spells tore into the room.

0000000000

Little Harry was in pain. He didn't know why but that big gray animal had bitten him, right on his shoulder and it hurt! It hurt to move his arm, too. Several people barged into his room with those sticks he'd seen his mum and dad use. Surely, they would help him, take the pain away. But no, they looked at him, at his shoulder, the blood and they backed away in fear. He watched them stand in a tight group, talking. He wanted someone to pick him up, to tell him all was alright, to cuddle him but no one did.

0000000000

After a long while, another man entered the room. This one had a long white beard and wore half-moon glasses. His blue eyes full of sadness as he looked upon the child. Reaching forward, he retrieved the toddler. He turned as a woman entered wearing a Healer's uniform and carrying a small bag. The man with the beard took the child to see the woman.

The woman cleaned away the blood and attempted to heal the marks left by the attack, hoping he had been injured when Voldemort had attacked him. She'd dealt with enough werewolf injuries that night to know that hope was largely misplaced. When the marks on the boy's shoulder didn't fully heal, her hope died. She looked into the mournful gaze of Hogwarts' headmaster. She could tell he already knew.

The child responsible for conquering Voldemort this night, the child who would be famous throughout the wizarding world and would be known as the Boy-Who-Lived, had been bitten by a werewolf.


	2. So Terribly Alone

_**Inside I'm dying, I don't really know how I got here, or where it leads. I'm afraid of change, of death, of life, of beginnings and ends. I am so terribly alone. **_

Harry hated being there. He watched as all the others gathered into their little groups, excitedly chattering about their summer holiday or the upcoming year. A few people had looked his way but he'd given off an air of aloofness so no one had bothered him. He'd also caught the disdainful glances a few of the more well off students had thrown his way. At least he didn't have to suffer the humiliation of going through the Sorting with all the first years. He'd had a private sorting in which the hat had taken its time deciding on where to put him. It had finally called out "Gryffindor!", much to Harry's relief. He'd made it into the same House as Uncle Remus and his parents. So now, here he sat in the Great Hall after having endured a carriage ride with three seventh year girls. He would have walked but didn't think anyone would have been too happy with that decision.

He sat at the Gryffindor table, away from all the other students, actually preferring it that way. He didn't have to make nice if he wasn't being bothered. It still annoyed him to think on how it was he came to be at Hogwarts.

_He'd just turned thirteen. A tawny school owl appeared with his Hogwarts letter. Just like the previous years, Harry marked through his name on the front and returned the letter. He was adamant about not going and eventually they'd get the hint. After all the times magical families turned on Uncle Remus and Harry upon learning their secret, why would they think he'd want to be a part of that world? All those times of making friends and then having to leave because the family figured out why he and Remus were not around the day before or after the full moon every month. Time after time Harry had had friends look upon him with horror and fear. It had gotten to be too much so Harry quit trying to make friends. It hurt being alone, without friends, but it hurt worse to have supposed friends act as if they could become infected with lycanthropy just by breathing the same air._

_The day after he'd returned his Hogwarts letter, the Headmaster, one Albus Dumbledore, visited with Uncle Remus. After some heated discussion, Remus accepted a job as professor at the school. That news had not gone over well._

"_Harry, come sit down. We need to talk."_

"_What's wrong?"_

"_Harry, Dumbledore offered me a teaching position at Hogwarts."_

"_You turned him down, right? Right?"_

"_No, Harry, I didn't. I took the job."_

"_You WHAT?!" Harry jumped up out of his seat so fast the chair fell backward. "How could you? You KNOW how I feel about that!"_

"_Harry, I need the work. We need the money."_

"_I've got money-use it. You said I wouldn't be safe there! You said you'd never make me go if I didn't want to!"_

"_Harry, Voldemort tried to return again last year. Thankfully, he was stopped before he got very far, but that only shows how much danger you—we-could be in. And studying under professors who are experts in their fields will benefit you far greater than you could know. And," Remus sighed, "I think it's time you were around kids your own age."_

"_I told you-I don't need friends. What have they ever done for me?"_

_Remus looked sympathetic, but his eyes held that peculiar shine that showed his conviction of the rightness of his suggestion. Seeing there was no changing the man's mind, Harry shouted. "You're just like them! You don't care about what I want or need. You say one thing and do the opposite! I hate you!"_

_Harry stormed out of the kitchen, into his room and slammed the door. Even though he'd, in previous years, threatened to run away, Harry just couldn't force himself to actually do it and Remus must have known it. He stalked around his room, angrily muttering about how unfair his life was. Fear and pain attempted to push their way to the forefront but Harry pushed those feelings down like he had all the other times. _

_The feelings of betrayal ran deep, but after just two days of near silence between them, Harry apologized._

"_Uncle Remus, I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't really mean it. I hope you know that. It's just that-"_

"_I know, Harry. But this job could last longer than any of the other ones I've had. I really do think you'll benefit from being taught by experts. I know you don't think you need friends, and I can't blame you for feeling that way, but you may just change your mind once you get there."_

"_I doubt it. I can't say that I'm going to try to be friendly, either. But I'll go without any more protests."_

"_Thanks, Pup. Something tells me this will be a good year for the both of us."_

_Harry looked up at his guardian hesitantly. "Are we...are we okay?"_

_Remus had then taken Harry into his arms for a tight hug. _

"_Harry, we're going to have disagreements. That's the way things are, especially now that you're starting to grow up. No matter how much shouting or arguing we do, never forget that I love you and always will."_

"_I love you, too."_

_All may have been forgiven. That didn't mean Harry had to like it, however._

Harry glanced up at the Staff Table and saw his uncle sitting there, watching him. The man stood at his introduction but quickly returned to his seat. A few more words from the Headmaster and then food popped into existence on the tables. Filling his plate, he concentrated on eating. He didn't talk to anyone, didn't look at anyone and everyone treated him the same. Oh, he was aware of some stares and fierce whispers and he really wished they'd just shut up and leave him alone. He was just finishing up when a second year called over to him.

"Oi! You really Harry Potter? _The_ Harry Potter? You know, with the scar and everything?"

Harry slowly turned to look at the kid but the only answer he gave was a shrug of his shoulders.

"Well, either you are or you aren't," continued the scratchy voice.

Harry wiped his hands and face and took a drink of pumpkin juice, doing his level best to ignore the voice.

"You're being rude," another voice piped up with a condescending air. "He just asked a question."

Harry pushed his plate and goblet away from him and faced the pair of kids. By now, the attention of those around the second years had been caught and they were watching and listening avidly. Frustrated, Harry jumped up.

"Well, I think it's rude to stick his nose in where it's obviously not wanted. And that's all the answer he's going to get!"

Harry practically stomped his way out the Great Hall and up the ever-maddeningly moving staircases. He had to backtrack twice because of them and, thanks to Remus for having told him where Gryffindor tower was, by the time he reached the portrait hole, he was in a towering temper. Ever so grateful he'd been given the password already, he threw the word at the painting and got even more frustrated when she refused to open.

"I don't have to take that kind of abuse," the Fat Lady said, her hands propped on her ample hips. "Unless you can give the password respectfully, you'll be stuck there in the hallway."

Harry couldn't believe it. He was being admonished by a stupid painting! Stupid painting! Stupid school! Stupid people! His life had been fine. Why did it have to go and change? His vision began to swim and he quickly swiped away the moisture before the Feast was over and the others saw him. Being caught crying would have added fuel to the gossips. They'd be chattering about it for days! Finally, he breathed in deeply and slowly let it out.

"Caput Draconis," he said in the calmest voice he could muster.

"Much better," the Fat Lady replied, mollified.

The painting swung open allowing Harry access to the common room. He glanced cursorily around the common room, taking in the reds and golds, the comfortable seating around the fireplace along with some tables and chairs for homework but he didn't let that interfere with his determined march. He didn't stop until he reached the third year dorm room. That, at least, was another humiliation he'd dodged. When he'd been tested to see what year he'd fit into, he'd gotten high marks in Defense but most of his others were between third and fourth year. So, erring on the side of caution, third year it was for him.

Pulling off his robe and uniform, he donned his night clothes, tossed his dirty clothes in the basket for the house elves, slipped off his glasses, climbed into bed and pulled the curtains shut. He lay there awhile hoping sleep would claim him before any of his dorm mates came in. But before he could fall asleep, the door opened and he heard several pairs of feet shuffle in along with some good-natured ribbing. One of the boys shushed the others and Harry could almost feel their eyes on his bed.

"Is it true he's _the_ Harry Potter?" asked one of them, quietly.

"Don't know. Maybe," replied another.

"Not a very friendly bloke, is he?" a heavily Irish accented voice commented.

"Well, he was kind of dropped in here," countered the first boy. "He's probably shy, not knowing anyone and all."

Someone scoffed at that notion. "Shy? Yeah, right. More like just a pompous git. Probably thinks he's too good for us. From what I've heard, he kept to himself on the train and I'm inclined to believe it after supper tonight."

"We should at least try to befriend him, shouldn't we?" the first boy tried again.

"You go ahead if you want to. Me, I'm not wasting my time."

More shuffling as the boys dispersed to their own beds. Drawers opened and shut. Then the swish of clothes sailing through the air and landing with a muffled _plop_ into the hamper reached Harry's ears. The zip of curtains opening and shutting told Harry he was finally going to have a quiet room. But soon, loud snores came from the bed to his left, disabusing him of that hope. Underneath that horrific racket, he could hear the quieter sounds of the other boys. Harry rolled to his side. Hearing the boys talk had hurt. But he pushed that hurt down deep and locked it away. Those boys reinforced Harry's idea that he didn't need any of them, that he didn't want to be part of this world. He found it ironic that, at some point, when he was ready, they were going to need him even though they were horrified by him. He was going to have to destroy the evil wizard responsible for so many broken families. It took awhile but, eventually, Harry relaxed enough to fall asleep.

The next morning, Harry woke early. Peeking through his curtains, he could see no one else was up yet. Quickly, he grabbed his clothes and toiletries before heading to the showers. He'd finished and was heading down to the Great Hall before anyone else from his dorm was even awake. Only a smattering of students were up at such an early hour so it was quite easy to find a spot well away from the others in his House. He took a seat several feet away from a small gathering of redheads. Taking a quick peek at the Staff Table told him his uncle, no professor as he had to call the man now, was present and, by the look on his face, wanted very much to have a nice little discussion. Well, Harry didn't feel much like discussing anything so he turned back to his cereal and toast.

Just as he was finishing up, a nearby motion caught his eye. Glancing up, an older student with red hair and horn-rimmed glasses strode purposefully in Harry's direction. Irritated, Harry took a final swallow of pumpkin juice before standing to leave.

"Mr. Potter, I'd like a word, please!" the redhead called.

Upon reaching the third year, the redhead spoke again in a most annoyingly pompous voice that immediately set Harry on edge.

"I'm Head Boy. My name is Percy Weasley, and if you need any help just let me know. I know it can't be easy being new so, if you'd like, I can introduce you to some people."

"No, thanks. I'm fine. Bye."

Percy watched, slightly offended as Harry turned and walked straight through the Great Hall's double doors.

"Well, not much on manners, is he?"

"He probably doesn't like you," said one twin. "Come to think of it..."

"We don't like you much, either," finished the other twin.

"And we're your brothers," the pair said in unison.

"Just leave him be, Percy," piped up a feminine voice, the owner of which also sported red hair. "He's likely having a hard time adjusting. Let him come around on his own."

"Aww. Does ickle Gin-Gin have a crush on the new kid?"

"Oh, my dear brother, did you not hear? That's not just any new kid. That's _the_ Harry Potter."

"You know, dear brother, I do believe you're right. So, Gin-Gin, tell us. Is he cute?"

Blushing furiously, but with a frustrated growl, the girl threw a piece of toast at her grinning twin brothers. Stalking up to the Staff Table, she retrieved her class schedule from Professor McGonagall before heading back to Gryffindor Tower. She groaned when she noticed her first class was Potions. What a way to start the week.

Ooooo

Harry stalked out the Great Hall and right out the main doors of the castle. He wanted so badly to just keep going right out through the main gates but he'd promised Remus he wouldn't cause any trouble. Why couldn't they just leave him alone? How could he make it more obvious that he didn't want to be bothered? He'd just keep ignoring them and maybe they'll get the hint. As he walked around the inner grounds, he immersed himself in Mother Nature. Wind ruffled his messy hair a bit and rustled the leaves on the trees. The early sun promised a stifling heat but, for now, it comfortably warmed his face. A mishmash of flowery scents drifted to him from the greenhouses. Because of his enhanced hearing due to the wolf part of his existence, he could hear the flutter of insect wings a fair distance away. He knew there was a forest though he couldn't see it. Part of him thrilled at exploring it after all Remus had told him about it. The human part of him dreaded it.

After a while, he realized classes were due to start. Muttering an oath, he rushed back into the castle and headed for the stairs. Another oath left his mouth when he realized he didn't have his schedule. Running back to the Great Hall, narrowly avoiding colliding with the throngs of students scurrying along, he found his Head of House.

"There you are, Mr. Potter. You left before getting this." She held out a piece of parchment. "You're lucky. I don't think Hagrid will be too upset with you being a bit tardy, but you'd better hurry."

Harry noted he had Care of Magical Creatures first period. Nodding his thanks, he hustled back to his dorm and grabbed his bag. Seeing that he had Potions also that morning, he quickly pulled out what he didn't need, stuffed in what he did need and threw himself down the stairs, out the portrait hole, disregarding the painting's complaint, and down the moving staircases. Fortunately, luck was on his side as they stayed aligned long enough for him to get all the way down. He had a vague idea where his class was supposed to meet and took off in that direction. Catching up to the students milling around, he collapsed on a log and leaned over, utterly winded. After about a minute, he glanced around.

His house shared the class with Slytherin. Wonderful. More snotty, obnoxious, holier-than-thou people you'd never find. A few disgusted looks were thrown his way but he ignored them. A blonde with a pointed chin, dressed in Slytherin green, seemed to be a leader to them. He was flanked with two very large cronies who rarely spoke but laughed stupidly at everything the blonde said. Harry felt immediate dislike for those three.

By contrast, his housemates stood around chatting amiably as they waited for the professor. A disheveled pudgy boy walked by with the book for the class barely in his grip. Obviously, he and the book had gone a round or two and, by the looks of it, the book had won. Harry sympathized some. He'd gone a few rounds with the book, too, until Remus had explained the special technique to use in handling it. A bushy-haired girl prattled on incessantly about what they were likely going to study. A redhead next to her rolled his eyes whenever she wasn't looking.

A shout drew Harry's attention and he felt his jaw drop. He couldn't help it. Not far from where they all were waiting stood the tallest, widest man Harry had ever seen. The man had long bushy black hair and a beard to match. His dark eyes were almost lost in all that hair. The giant of a man motioned them over to a clearing. Walking over, Harry's first thought was _No way._ A beast, half eagle and half horse, strutted around the small area.

"This here is a hippogriff," the giant man said in a booming voice. "Very proud creatures, hippogriffs."

As if to prove it, said creature stood still with its head up high, wings folded against its sides, and eyed them all with what Harry was sure was haughtiness. _Great. Now I'm being looked down upon by a stupid animal._ As Professor Hagrid continued the lecture on how to approach hippogriffs, Harry noticed the blonde Slytherin slowly edging to the back of the group close to where he, Harry, was standing. The giant asked if there were any questions and the blonde spoke up.

"Are we studying werewolves in this class? They're creatures, aren't they?"

Harry's eyes shot to the blonde's face and found the boy staring right at him, smirking. Harry just barely managed to keep his face a mask of neutrality while his insides churned. _Did he know? How could he?_

"No," Hagrid answered, "no werewolves. Those are dark creatures best left to your Defense Against the Dark Arts class. This is a hands-on class. Can't have any werewolves running around now can we?"

"Dark creatures, eh?" the boy continued in that same smug voice, still staring at Harry. "No, I don't think having any werewolves running around the school would be a good idea."

In his chest, Harry's heart seemed to beat faster than the Firebolt could fly. Sweat trickled down the back of his neck. The boy wasn't finished yet, however.

"You'd know about werewolves, wouldn't you, Potter?"

Harry gulped. Every pair of eyes were on him.

"Why would I?" he managed in a somewhat steady voice.

"Everyone knows there was a werewolf attack at Godric's Hollow the night your parents were killed."

Rivulets of sweat now trickled down Harry's back.

"So?" he forced out.

"Just saying," the kid said offhandedly, "that you'd be a bit more familiar with those hideously dark, filthy beasts than the rest of us."

The blonde's smirk became a sneer as if he knew how his words were affecting Harry. Thankfully, Hagrid called the group's attention back to the lesson. The Slytherin leader laughed openly at Harry before turning to listen to the lecture. Harry never even heard the rest of the lesson for his mind was on that blonde git and what he'd said. He needed to tell his uncle. Consulting his class schedule, he was dismayed to realize that would have to wait until after his next class.

Ooooo

Lost in thought on his way to Potions class, he'd just cleared the stairs and turned a corner when he collided with a petite redhead. Their collision was such that it knocked her Potions supplies everywhere and knocked her onto her bum. She sat several seconds staring daggers at him before locating her stuff. Embarrassed, Harry helped her pick up her things. He'd have helped her up but when he offered, she'd slapped his hand away.

"Sorry."

Harry dumped her things into her arms and rushed down the hall to the Potions room. Remus had told him about Snape and how bitter the man was. Harry had also been warned not to let anything the man said bother him. Harry knew there had been a feud between the Potions Master and Harry's Dad so was expecting some harsh treatment. Sure enough, as soon as he entered, the man started in.

"Well, look who has finally deigned to grace us with his presence. I warn you now, Potter, your fame will not get you far in my class. My class is all about skill. Something I seriously doubt you have."

Clenching his teeth, Harry held his tongue. He'd show the bitter man. Harry determined, then and there, to not let anything distract him from making his potion perfectly. Harry nearly smiled when he saw what potion they were to start with. He could make a Shrinking Solution in his sleep. Not once glancing back at the chalkboard, Harry carefully executed each step in the process. Snape noticed and called him on it.

"Potter! Are you not paying attention to the directions? I haven't seen you check them at all. I don't want to be poisoned by any noxious gases escaping your cauldron because you failed to follow the directions!"

Harry calmed himself and spoke in the most polite voice he could muster.

"I've made this potion many times before. _Sir._ I've memorized it."

"Ten points from Gryffindor for your cheek, Potter. You'd better hope it turns out perfectly."

The man turned on his heel and walked back amongst the other students, praising each and every Slytherin. Harry continued stirring the bubbling potion until it was the acid green color it was meant to be. Bottling a sample, he took it up to Snape's desk for grading. Harry couldn't help the smug feeling he got when Snape spotted his sample. Snape's eyes widened in surprise, eyebrows raised. Then a smarmy smile broke out. The Professor's hand shot out in a wide arc as if reaching for someone. His hand collided with Harry's, knocking the sample from the teen's hand, sending it crashing to the floor. Solution sprayed everywhere but only caught Harry's trouser leg, causing it to shrink until it gripped his leg about mid-calf. Laughter rang out at Harry's now ruined trousers.

"Oops. Looks like no grade today, Potter."

Green eyes met black ones defiantly. "I beg to differ, sir. Obviously, it did what it was designed to do." Harry pointed to his uniform.

"Potter, I get to say whether a potion is correct or not. Without a sample, I can't test it so...no grade today."

Harry would have argued further but the end of class bell rang. Stalking back to his desk, he quickly bottled another sample of his potion, banished the rest and stuffed everything into his bag. Thankfully, he didn't have another class that morning. He rushed up the dungeon stairs to the Defense Against the Dark Arts room, hoping to catch his uncle between classes. He got there just as the last person was leaving.

"Harry! How's the first day going? I won't be seeing you until tomorrow afternoon, I'm afraid."

"Uncle Remus, something happened during Care of Magical Creatures this morning. This kid, blonde with a pointed chin, a Slytherin, asked if we were going to be studying werewolves in the class and was staring right at me when he said it. Do you think he knows?"

The twinkling light in Remus' gray eyes dimmed at the news. He thought a moment.

"Sounds like Draco Malfoy. His father was known to follow Voldemort during the last war but the man claimed to have been forced into it and was allowed to go free. I suppose it's possible he may suspect if the werewolf who attacked Godric's Hollow that night was a Voldemort supporter. Look, let's not talk about this now, okay? I'll talk to the Headmaster."

Remus happened to glance down and noticed Harry's uniform.

"What happened?"

"Shrinking Solution. Snape knocked the sample I made out of my hand and it broke. Some of it hit me. Then he refused to give me a grade for it."

"I'll talk to Albus about that, too. Unfortunately, I don't have the antidote. Madame Pomfrey may."

Some students began entering and giving the pair odd looks.

"I've got a class so I'll see you later, Harry. And don't worry about _Professor_ Snape."

Remus gave him 'that look' and Harry knew he was being chastised for not showing the Potions master any respect. The two parted ways and Harry headed back to his dorm to drop off his bag. After preparing it for Herbology, his first class after lunch, he changed his uniform. Grabbing his shrunken trousers, he headed for the hospital wing.

"Madame Pomfrey?"

"Harry? How can I help you? It's not time already, is it?"

"No, it's not that. Yet."

Harry held up his shortened trouser leg. "Can you help me with this? Shrinking Solution sprayed my uniform and I don't have an antidote."

"I would have thought Professor Snape could have fixed it easily."

"Yes, well, we aren't exactly fans of each other. Please tell me you can fix it."

"Well, I normally don't keep that on hand so I'll have to brew it but it shouldn't take too terribly long. I should have it fixed by day's end."

"Thanks."

"Are you liking it here, Harry? I know you didn't really want to come."

Harry's gaze flitted away from the kindly nurse. He didn't trust many people in the wizarding world but Madame Pomfrey had taken care of him whenever he'd gotten sick. She'd always treated him with affection. To her, he was just another child who'd needing healing. He couldn't tell her how grateful he would always be to her for that. In answer to her question, he shrugged.

"I know it's difficult. Just give it awhile longer, okay?"

"Sure."

Deciding now would be a good time to go to lunch, he made his way to the Great Hall. Sure enough, most kids were still in class. A smattering of Gryffindors sat at his table, including the redheaded girl he'd knocked over on his way to Potions. Sitting on the far side of the table, he fixed himself a sandwich and grabbed a handful of crisps, washing it down with pumpkin juice. He managed to time it just right. He was done about the time most of the students were done with class and coming in for lunch.

Oooooo

Harry hurriedly left Herbology behind. Two hours was more than enough for him. He'd been scratched, poked and nearly bitten by the plant he had been pruning. As it was, he'd gotten a splinter from it and it hurt worse than he'd thought it would. Professor Sprout had explained that the splinters were full of an acidic pus. It wasn't dangerous, just bothersome. Yeah, he had to agree with that. Sucking on the side of his finger near his knuckle, he, again, wasn't paying too close attention when he turned back toward the castle and bumped into someone coming down the path to the greenhouses. This time he managed to catch her before she fell.

"You know," she said, annoyed, "you really need to watch where you're going. I mean, I may be a tad small but I'm not invisible."

"Sorry," he cringed. "Again."

Harry quickly let her go and walked away, shaking the hand with the burning finger. At least he had an hour before History of Magic. By then the burning sensation should have worn off. After trading his Herbology book for History of Magic and gathering parchment, quills, and ink, he walked the inner grounds until the bell. The Forbidden Forest called to the wolf side of him but he needed to stay close to the school so he ignored it. He was always more aware of the wolf the closer it got to the full moon. Just next week, he and Remus would be prowling the Forest together. The thought made him shudder. Those thoughts brought him to his first class. He pondered what that git, Draco Malfoy, had said and couldn't shake the fear that he'd reveal Harry's secret.

Finally, the bell rang and he hurried off to his History class. Uncle Remus had told him a ghost taught the class and that it would likely be his most boring class. As soon as Professor Binns began, Harry knew his uncle was going to be right. He didn't care, though. He knew a lot of the stuff already and it allowed his mind to wander. He stayed awake which was more than he could say for some of the others, one of which was a redheaded boy who snored quite loudly. When it was time to go, the redhead had to be prodded awake. The bushy-haired girl he'd seen standing next to this boy that morning sat next to him now and poked him until he woke. Then she berated him for falling asleep. Harry was relieved he didn't have to put up with that.

Harry spent the hour before dinner getting a head start on the next day's classes. He sat in one of the comfy chairs in a corner with his Charms text in his lap and his Defense Against the Dark Arts text tucked down between the cushion and the chair arm. Though he was proficient in both subjects, he felt it wouldn't hurt to know what they'd probably be studying the next day. After checking his watch for the fourth time, he gave up and headed down to dinner.

Ooooooo

Finally, it was Friday. Harry had only one class this morning- Charms. They discussed the theory of some of the slightly more difficult jinxes. This was something Harry knew already and found himself a tad bored. After class, he stayed behind to discuss the problem with Professor Flitwick. The tiny man seemed rather excited and eager to teach Harry some more advanced spells.

"Certainly you may work ahead, Mr. Potter," the little professor squeaked. "I saw your score for this subject and was quite impressed. Any spell you want to learn, whether in your text or one you find during research, you may attempt. Within reason, of course. Notify me of it before you begin. Keep a log of what spell you're trying, the date you've started attempting it and any successes or failures you have. I will still require you to complete any essays I set, however."

"Of course, Professor. Thanks."

Their chat ran longer than he'd anticipated. But at least he was finished for the morning. The students for the next class began trickling in so he packed his school things back into his bag and hurried to the door. He was about to step through it when someone else did. The two came within inches of colliding but caught themselves before they could.

"Well, at least we're making progress," quipped the same girl Harry had been running into all week.

Harry gave a noncommittal sound before stepping around her and continuing on his way. Why was it that every time he turned around, there was that redhead again? Okay, so it wasn't _every _time but it sure felt like it. Dropping off his bag in his dorm, he checked the time. Yes! Plenty of time! Uncle Remus had told him he could borrow Remus' broom today. Harry loved to fly and had missed it greatly. His own broom had gotten damaged and they hadn't been able to replace it. Stopping off at Remus' office before the next class showed up, he retrieved the old Cleansweep. It had seen better days but at this point, flying was flying.

As soon as he got outside, he mounted the broom and soared into the air. Laughing out loud at the wind whipping his hair around, he put the broom through its paces. He flew up sharply and down exceedingly low. He pulled stunts, he corkscrewed, he performed turns one wasn't supposed to be able to do with that model. Little did he know he wasn't alone.

"Oi!" a heavily-accented Irish voice called.

Harry looked up to find a seventh year flying up to him.

"You fly amazingly well on that old thing," the older boy commented.

Harry shrugged and waited to see what the other boy wanted. Having his flying time interrupted was a bit irritating.

"My name's Wood, Oliver Wood. I'm the Captain of the quidditch team. Ever thought about playing?"

Again, Harry shrugged and gave a noncommittal sound. It didn't seem to faze the older boy.

"I bet you'd be good, flying like that. I'll be holding tryouts soon. Why don't you come?"

"Maybe," Harry answered, still somewhat peeved at having his flying time interrupted.

The young man smiled gleefully as if he'd been told he was being scouted for a professional team.

"Brilliant! See you!"

Harry watched as the other boy flew back toward the castle. Did he really want to play quidditch? It would certainly put him in the spotlight. His dad had played Chaser, though, so playing would be like sharing something with the father he never knew. It was also unlikely to interfere with his furry little problem as, he'd gathered from stories about his dad playing, all the games were during the day. Deciding he'd think about it later, Harry continued flying. He got so lost in the feeling of freedom, he almost forgot about lunch.

Rushing off to his dorm, he stowed the broom, grabbed his bag and quickly stuffed his Defense and History texts into it and hurried down to grab something to eat. Harry found one advantage to being so late. A lot of the other kids had eaten and left already so, luckily for him, the end of the table by the door was empty. Sliding onto the bench, he zoomed through a sandwich, some crisps and pumpkin juice. Still a bit hungry, he swiped an apple before heading off to his double Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

Defense was his favorite class. Mainly because of who taught it but it didn't hurt that he knew pretty much everything they'd be studying that year so it would be fairly easy. His steps faltered once he caught a glimpse of the Slytherins. He'd forgotten all about having to share the class with them. Instantly, he and the blonde, Malfoy, locked eyes and the blonde smirked. Harry wanted so badly to wipe that smarmy expression off the kid's face but knew he couldn't right then.

As if sensing Harry's dilemma, Remus appeared at the door to his classroom. He glanced at Draco, noting with some discomfort the expression on the young Malfoy's face. He then turned to Harry, who met his gaze. So far, Harry had managed to keep his temper in check. Remus hoped the boy could continue to do so.

"Come on in and welcome to your double Defense class," Remus announced loudly.

He watched as the students took their seats, once again leaving a noticeable gap between themselves and Harry. Frowning, he decided to do something about it.

"Okay, today we're going to have a practical class. Wands out. We're pairing up to practice the spells we discussed on Tuesday."

Everyone chattered and started choosing partners. Remus met Harry's eyes and smiled.

"I'll be picking the pairs today," he said. "Let's see...Mr. Potter, why don't you come up front?"

Harry sat immobile for a full five seconds before reluctantly getting up. He could see his uncle's barely controlled glee at his own actions and Harry's reactions. He narrowed his gaze at the man before facing the class. His opinion of the exercise soared a few notches with Remus' next words.

"Mr. Malfoy, how about you come join Mr. Potter?"

The blonde's mouth thinned in distaste but he dutifully got up. When he reached the front, he suddenly grinned and, with a loud voice, brought up a subject best left alone.

"Oh, I meant to ask last time. When are we going to be studying werewolves? Everyone should know how to identify one, don't you think? Such evil, dark creatures shouldn't be allowed to roam free."

Harry's face burned from the heat of his anger but Remus merely waved away the subject.

"That's for another time, Mr. Malfoy. You need to concentrate on what we're studying today. Not something in the future."

Clearly, Draco didn't like that answer and Harry found it difficult to keep from laughing. Once all the students were paired, they began practicing. Draco was such a poor spell caster, Harry had no trouble whatsoever dodging the spells. More often than not, he was able to stay in place and just watch the Slytherin's spells as they passed him by.

When the roles were reversed, Draco wasn't so lucky. Aiming was one thing Remus had taught Harry from the very beginning. Every spell Harry cast hit its mark. Well, all but one and that was because he had to dodge someone else's wayward spell. By the end of the double class, Harry was feeling rather happy. He'd shown up the arrogant blonde git. But he should have known that happiness wouldn't last. The bushy-haired brunette he'd seen hang around with the redheaded boy sidled up to him.

"Hey, you're good," she said. "How did you get to be so good?"

Frowning, he sighed. "Practice."

"But that's not possible. We can't do magic outside of school." Her voice held a note of jealousy, although she was hiding it rather well.

Harry shrugged. He wished she'd just leave him alone. This girl was quite annoying with her know-it-all attitude. The redheaded boy who always seemed to be close by saved him from having to reply.

"Come on, Hermione. The sooner we get to class the sooner Binns can start and the sooner it can be over."

"Ron, don't be rude," the girl chastised.

Harry couldn't help but agree with this Ron's opinion of History class. Before he could say or do anything though, Ron was already hauling the girl out of the classroom.

"You should try to be a little more friendly."

Harry turned to his uncle. "Why?"

"Harry, you should have friends. I'm not always going to be around for you to talk to."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I don't need anything from them. I need to go."

One thing Harry found he _did_ like about the school was the anonymity of being in the throng of students between classes. Everyone was too busy rushing here or there to pay him much mind. Eventually, he reached the classroom and, to his dismay, found all the seats towards the back of the room already occupied. Apparently he wasn't the only one who found the ghost's droning coma-inducing. Sighing, he found a seat in the middle, took out his book and slumped down in his seat.

Belatedly, he realized he had sat next to that know-it-all girl. Wonderful. From the corner of his eye, he could tell she was scrutinizing him. Crossing his arms over his desk, he rested his head on them. This action changed her expression from speculation to disapproval and she huffed. The sound made Harry grin. Served her right. Professor Binns entered through his chalkboard and began his lecture.

Ooooooo

Harry jerked awake at the sound of the dismissal bell. Gathering his things, he saw the brunette next to him jab the redhead awake. Quiet grumbling met his ears. The girl was saying something about being surrounded by those not taking their educations seriously. Harry knew he should just keep his mouth shut but he was so tired of this girl's attitude.

"It's just History. No big deal."

She turned in his direction, scandalized he'd said that.

"History is important. If we don't learn from history, we're doomed to repeat it," she said in a somewhat self-righteous tone.

"Oh, come on," Harry responded. "He's talking about Goblin Wars from ages ago. We get along fine with goblins now. We let them take care of our money for Merlin's sake. If you don't call that learning then I don't know what else you could call it."

"History is about more than the goblins-,"

"When we get into that maybe some of us will pay more attention."

"You can't just pay attention to bits and pieces!" she exclaimed. "You have to take it as a whole. Look at what happened last year. Because something of You-Know-Who's got into the wrong hands, some not so pleasant things happened. But we were prepared for it because we knew what You-Know-Who was like."

"Hermione!" the boy cried. "You promised you wouldn't say anything!"

"And I haven't, have I?" she countered irritably. "All I'm saying is that because we knew what He was like, 'we' were on the lookout for something that he might have left behind. We LEARNED from our past."

"Whatever," Harry responded.

"You of all people should want to learn from past mistakes."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry asked, confused.

"Your parents were killed because of mistakes."

Harry's insides froze and his voice reflected it. "What do you know about it?"

"I know that they went into hiding. Someone had to have made a mistake somewhere for them to have been found."

Harry blanched then turned red as his anger mounted. "You don't know anything! Don't ever speak of them again! You think you know everything but you know nothing! You have no idea!"

Turning on his heel, he stalked to the door. The redheaded girl he'd been crossing paths with came through the door before he even got close to it. Taking one look at his face, she quickly moved out of his path. If he hadn't been so angry, he'd have thought it kind of funny. Progress, indeed. As it was, he barely glanced in her direction before storming through the doorway. Before he'd gone completely, what he presumed to be the girl's voice, reached his ears.

"Bloody hell, Ron, what did you say to him?"

Harry fumed all the way to his dorm and threw his books onto his bed. What did she know? What did any of them know? And his uncle wanted him to make nice with them? Grabbing the broom he still had, Harry rushed off down all the stairs and practically jumped onto the broom the instant he was outside. He had a LOT of steam to blow off and he figured it was going to take a while. Thank goodness he'd just finished his last class for the day.

Ooooooo

The weekend Harry found kind of boring. He couldn't go anywhere and couldn't do much of anything. He'd already walked the grounds an innumerable amount of times and Remus had left for some reason, taking his broom with him. So he finally ended up just sitting by the Black Lake, watching everyone else. Gaggles of girls giggled and talked, hands waving excitedly. Groups of boys stood around trying to impress the girls with spells and their physical prowess. Still others just walked and talked, enjoying the break from school. No one approached him. No one spoke to him.

As he watched, he felt a bit of envy rear its ugly head. Harry tried to push it down but it wouldn't stay down. Envy's friend loneliness showed up and began its little song and dance. Neither would it shut up. His existence was a lonely one. He should have accepted that by now. No one wants a werewolf as a friend. Well, okay, so his parents and godfather hadn't minded but they were gone. Those kinds of people were rare. He could remember all too well when that lesson began beating its way into his brain.

_Five year old Harry went in search of his friend Emerson while the grown-ups talked. He didn't care that the man hadn't greeted them warmly like they usually did. All he cared about was finding his friend. At the door to the boy's bedroom, the boy, Emerson, shouted from inside the room._

"_Don't come near me! Daddy says you're evil! I don't want you near me!"_

"_I'm not evil. I don't understand. We're friends."_

"_I'm not friends with a filthy animal. No one wants to be friends with animals."_

"_I'm not an animal."_

"_Yes, you are. You change and hurt people. I don't want to get hurt and have to change too."_

"_Only when it's a full moon. I don't hurt people. We take a potion to keep us from doing that. I can't stop the changing."_

"_Just stay away from me. Daddy's going to make it so you won't ever hurt me. He's making you and your uncle go away. He says you should be locked up at the full moon so you can't hurt anyone."_

_Upset at Emerson's words, young Harry began to cry. _

"_Harry, it's time to go," came a familiar voice behind him._

_Harry launched himself into his uncle's arms, his own arms wrapping themselves around the man's neck, burying his face into his uncle's shoulder. He felt himself being lifted and automatically wrapped his short little legs around Uncle Remus' waist. After they'd gotten back home, Harry learned they wouldn't they truly wouldn't be going back._

It had been like that so many times, Harry learned to not let anyone else in. Swallowing down the rock in his throat, Harry gained control of himself. He was just feeling this way because the full moon was coming in a week. He'd had to wake up extra early that morning to make it to the hospital wing and back before anyone noticed. He shuddered remembering the awful taste of the potion. That potion could out-bitter Snape and, apparently, that was saying something. It was a necessity of life, though, so he drank it without complaint and quietly left. It didn't help that he'd awakened with the all too familiar bone deep aches he always got before the full moon. Sitting there didn't seem to be doing him any good so he got up and began wandering. A little while later he heard voices, one of which sounded familiar.

"How could you? I thought you were my friends!" the familiar voice cried.

"Friends?" one snorted. "After what happened last year? That's right. We know it was you who set that thing loose on the school."

"It wasn't like that. I didn't want to do it but he made me."

"Oh, here we go again," said another. "And we're supposed to just believe you, right? You-Know-Who controlling you? You-Know-Who's gone."

Mention of Voldemort froze Harry. He really didn't want to overhear any of this but his curiosity got the better of him. Then there was that familiar voice that he just couldn't place.

"I'm telling you it was _Him._ So all this time you've just been pretending to be my friends but have been talking about me behind my back?"

"Well, we really didn't have to say much. The whole school knows, Ginny."

"And I bet you enjoyed all the gossip, too, didn't you?"

Harry crept closer, stopping behind a tree as the scene came into view. It was three on one, the one being the redheaded girl he'd run into so often. She stood defiantly against the others, arms crossed over her chest. From where he stood, he could see the heat in her face, could feel the anger, the hurt radiating off her.

"Everyone was quite willing to talk. You should have heard their opinions, Ginny, going on about how you were so stupid to let that happen and how poor your family is."

The three stared at each other and laughed cruelly. Harry watched the redhead, Ginny, as her shoulders slumped. Her head dipped in what was obviously an effort to hide her face, either because she wanted to cry or she was ashamed of her past, Harry couldn't tell. Then he heard her quiet sniffles. Hearing the vicious comments from those other girls brought back memories of his own-of times when he'd been ridiculed for his less-than-stellar apparel or after the secret had been revealed of his werewolf nature. He felt the shame and anger and hurt bubble back up to the surface. No one should feel that way. No one should make anyone feel that way. Before he knew what he was doing, Harry strode over, stopping between them and the redhead.

"Hey, leave her alone. There's no call for that. You don't want to be her friend, fine. Just tell her. There's no reason to be mean. I'm sure there's something each of you have done that you've regretted doing. Everyone makes mistakes. Nobody's perfect. She's better off without you anyway. True friends stick by each other. Those are the only ones she needs."

One of the girls, a blonde, snorted. "Who would want to be friends with someone so poor? Haven't you seen her clothes? Her mum has to make her clothes because they can't afford any new ones. There's seven of them, you know. The Head Boy is one of her brothers. The twins in our House are her brothers and there's one in your year, too."

"You're just jealous," he retorted.

Harry had no idea of what he was saying but something kept him going.

"You're jealous because she has such an obviously loving family. Her mum takes the time to make things from the heart. Something I'd wager your mums wouldn't dream of."

"Hardly," another snickered.

Harry couldn't take them anymore. "Just go away and leave her alone."

The three snobby girls turned on their haughty heels and headed off in the general direction of the castle. Harry glanced at the lone girl and found her staring at him with an inscrutable expression on her face. Her head tilted to the side as she studied him. Harry found himself wanting to squirm under that stare.

"Why did you do that?" she asked.

Irritation flaring, he made to walk away but she called to him.

"I'm not mad. I just-. You don't know me. You didn't have to do that. Why did you?" 

Harry stood, still not facing her. He softly tossed his answer over his shoulder without really looking at her.

"I know what it's like to be betrayed by friends. No one should feel like that."

Then he walked off, leaving the girl gaping after him. Why did he do that? What business was it of his if she was having friend trouble? It must be the coming full moon. It always made him feel this way. His feelings, positive or negative, always seemed to be more intense during the week leading up to the full moon. Chastising himself for his stupidity, he skirted the Forbidden Forest on his walk around the Black Lake, stopping every so often to study the wooded area. Sometimes he felt as if he were being watched and he decided he probably was. He knew centaurs lived there. There was no telling what else resided in that darkness. Unfortunately, he was going to be finding out soon. Feeling more alone than before, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and continued on.


	3. Nothing of Me

_**There are beings out there, some good, some bad, that claim to know me, and yet they also know nothing of me. **_

The next morning, Harry awoke after a fitful night's sleep. Rolling over, he groaned at the aches and pains protesting the movement. Rubbing his eyes, he seriously contemplated not going to class. He was just so tired and it was only the beginning. He still had no clue how his uncle had lived like this for so long. Determination filled him with that thought. If Uncle Remus could do it, so could he. Gingerly, he crawled out of bed, wincing slightly, grabbed some clothes and headed off to the showers.

Harry feared waking the others up if he tried to get his school books so he left them. Creeping down the tower stairs and out the common room, he shuffled his way to the Hospital Wing. Upon entering, he saw his uncle already there and gave the man a tired grin. Apparently he'd been waiting for Harry since two smoking goblets were waiting on a tray in front of the older man.

"Hey, Pup, are you ready?" Remus asked, slight humor in his voice.

"Not really but do I have a choice?" Harry replied through a yawn.

"Not really," Remus answered with a faint smile.

They tended to have this conversation a lot and, indeed it was almost a joking routine between them. Each picked up a goblet and clinked them together.

"Bottoms up," Remus said.

Before either could take a drink, the hospital doors opened.

"Madame Pomfrey, I wanted to ask if you needed any...Wolfsbane Potion...for next month."

Severus Snape came to a jerking halt and stared at the two people holding goblets of what was obviously Wolfsbane Potion. Lupin he'd been prepared to see. It was the other who had completely thrown him. Harry Potter, _Lily's son_, stood alongside Lupin. He'd known, of course, but it still took him off-guard. For only an instant, the bitter man felt sadness at the life _Lily's son_ led. She would be devastated to know her son had been attacked by a werewolf. Guilt at being the reason she would never know threatened to overtake him so he pushed it brutally down as usual.

"Well, well, well," Snape spoke in his flat voice with a hint of a sneer on his face. "You've finally gone and done it, haven't you, Lupin? Infected your best friend's son. Pity."

Both Remus and Harry set their goblets back on the tray. Harry shook with his anger, barely biting back the words that begged to spill forth. Remus, on the other hand, contrasted with the youth. He calmly stared at his childhood rival and stepped away from Harry.

"Severus, I ask that you not make an issue of this with Harry," he said, completely ignoring the barb about having infected Harry. "Also, you need to speak with young Malfoy. In two different classes, he's brought up werewolves and linked Harry to the subject. Surely you can see why the boy must stop."

Severus sighed with a put-upon air. "Fine. I'll protect precious Potter's secret and have a talk with Draco. What reason should I give him?"

"It doesn't matter to me what reason you give so long as this talk works."

"Fine," Severus spat out the word. "Anything else?"

"Yes, actually," Remus replied with a hard edge to his voice, his gray eyes flashing. "If Harry correctly brews his potion, he gets full credit. No more knocking samples from his hand just so you can have the perverse pleasure of marking him down. I know you have to have samples to test but that Shrinking Solution was obviously done properly. If he doesn't start getting the grades he deserves, I'm talking to Albus. Am I clear?"

Severus' black eyes gave nothing away. His clenched jaw, however, showed the turmoil he was experiencing inside.

"Fine," he said between clenched teeth. "So you don't need me to brew the potion, then?"

"No," Remus said with a twinkle in his eyes. "Harry brews a perfect potion."

Snape's eyes flew to Harry who appeared to stand a little straighter under the praise. _Potter_ brewed it? He had a hard time believing _that_. He supposed it was possible the brat had inherited something else from his mother. Severus had a very hard time looking at the whelp. Lily's eyes in James' body was a disturbing sight. No, not Lily's eyes so much now. Currently, they held a distinct yellow tinge that, in this case, betrayed the wolf within. Without saying another word, he turned and strode out the hospital doors, his cloak billowing out behind him.

"Alright, Harry," Remus said upon turning back to his nephew, "drink up. It's getting late."

Harry took his goblet, breathed deeply in preparation then guzzled the nasty stuff as quickly as he could. Shuddering, he replaced the goblet back on the tray and looked up at his guardian, puzzled.

"I didn't brew the potion this time. Why did you tell him I did?"

"Because, Harry," Remus said with a smile and wink. "He needed to know you're very competent at Potions so any undeserved marks will be challenged."

Harry smiled in return and hurried out of the hospital wing and back to his dorm to grab his bag before heading down for breakfast. He entered the Great Hall dismayed at the crowd of students present. Since there really wasn't anything he could do about it, Harry sat in a spot that was at least somewhat separate from the others.

He sat down to a bowl of cereal and was happily ignoring everyone when someone sat across from him. Shocked that someone actually chose to sit near him, he looked up into the smiling face of that redheaded girl he'd talked to yesterday, Ginny. Not sure how to react, he turned back to his cereal.

"Good morning," she said, brightly.

Harry ignored her but that didn't seem to bother her as she continued.

"I wanted to thank you for what you said yesterday. You never gave me the chance."

Harry merely shrugged, keeping his eyes on his breakfast. Great what had he done? Now, he'd never be left alone. A small part of him, one Harry didn't want to acknowledge, cheered at that thought. Scowling into his cereal, he was determined not to talk to the girl.

"So what class do you have first?" she asked between bites of her breakfast. "You already know I have Potions first."

Done with his cereal, he grabbed his bag and stood to leave. She looked up at him and smiled. Confused by her actions, he walked away. Why did she sit across from him? Why talk to him? He never said a word but she didn't seem to care about that. Actually, he was downright rude to her. She was only being polite. Uncle Remus did say he wanted him to try to make friends. What's the point? She's bound to figure out his secret and then she'd drop him, just like everyone else. Determined to keep his distance, he headed down towards Hagrid's hut for class.

0000000000

Glad to be done with that class, Harry hurried back up to the castle. The Augurey was such a depressing bird. Harry felt bad enough with his impending transformation, he really didn't need to listen to that low throbbing cry very long. Hagrid had explained that the birds sang when rain was coming and mentioned that some people kept them as pets. To Harry's way of thinking, keeping one of those for a pet ranked right up there with keeping a hippogriff around—extremely mental.

Heading down to the dungeons, a voice called out to him. "Hey, Harry! Good luck in Potions. I think I may have warmed him up for you."

Harry's gaze swept the area and finally found Ginny as she was passing by him, another smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. A tiny bubble of joy burst, spreading its warmth throughout his system. Against his will, the corner of his mouth twitched upward in response. He didn't comment but kept heading down the stairs. Nervous didn't even begin to describe how he was feeling at coming face to face with the professor after that morning's meeting. Breathing deeply—he seemed to be doing a lot of that lately—he walked into the room.

Black eyes met green ones for an eternity, or so it seemed, but nothing was said. Harry quietly sat at his table and prepared for class. The blonde git, Malfoy, came in soon after and scowled at Harry the instant the boy saw him. Professor Snape must have had that little talk with Draco, after all. Anything that upset the smarmy little git amused Harry. He couldn't help it. Draco Malfoy epitomized all the past 'friends' who had looked down upon him after his secret came out, not to mention those who just plain bullied him because of his tattered apparel. They sneered at him, made fun of him, called him things no one should.

Snape set the assignment and Harry got to work, making absolutely sure he checked the directions more than once even though it was another potion he knew by heart. He sliced his ingredients with particular care before adding them to the boiling solution. He accomplished this all the while Snape hovered, watching like a hawk for any misstep.

When it was time to bottle samples for grading, Harry bottled two at one time, slipping one into his robe pocket. Snape may have _said_ he wouldn't deliberately sabotage Harry's grades but Harry still wouldn't put it past the man. Besides, accidents really did happen. On his way up to the professor's desk, someone tripped him sending him sprawling, the vial in his hand breaking upon impact with the floor. Laughter rang loudly in his ears.

"What is the meaning of this, Potter?" Snape acerbically asked. "Can't even get a sample to me without making a scene? Just can't stand the fact that no one here is impressed with your fame? Twenty points from Gryffindor. And no grade...again."

Harry wanted so badly to argue but knew it would only lead to detention and probably even more points taken from his House. Instead, he pulled the miraculously still intact vial from his pocket and deliberately placed it on Severus' desk. The man scowled at the appearance of the vial.

"Perhaps you'll get some kind of grade, after all."

Obviously dismissed, Harry gathered up his belongings and left. As he passed by the exasperating brunette, Hermione Harry thought her name was, she gave him an odd look. It seemed a little sympathetic but also held some jealousy and annoyance. Harry didn't bother trying to figure it out. He was just happy to be done for the morning. No essays had been set yet so he had a free hour. It was a little early for lunch so he took to doing what he usually did...wandering.

0000000000

Sitting down at the Gryffindor table, he filled himself a plate, as usual ignoring everyone else. He'd only eaten a few bites when a full plate was set down across from him. Looking up to see who had joined him, a mix of joy and irritation filled him. Ginny had come over again. Why? Why did she even bother? It's not like he chatted with her at breakfast. A genuine smile graced her features. She didn't say anything, just started eating. Mentally shrugging, he continued his own lunch.

After several silent minutes, Ginny spoke up. "I hope Snape wasn't in too much of a mood when you got there."

Harry shrugged in answer. He just couldn't find it within himself to ignore her completely and he wasn't sure why.

"I'm afraid I really set him off Gryffindors," Ginny explained. "Not that it takes all that much anyway. I had a little accident. Nothing serious, more messy than anything else. Of course, he doesn't like me in particular anyway because of Fred and George."

Harry remained silent but it didn't bother Ginny one bit. She kept up her one-sided conversation.

"Fred and George are my twin brothers. They're pranksters, you see."

Harry's interest was piqued despite his determination to remain aloof. He didn't let on he was listening but he took in every word she said. His father, his Uncle Remus, and his lost godfather had all been pranksters at school.

"They've pranked Snape lots of times which explains why Snape can't stand me. Thinks I'm just like them. For once, he's close to being right. I like a good prank now and then but not to the extent they do."

She chatted a little here and there all during the meal. When he'd finished, he grabbed his bag and made to leave. Ginny gave him another smile.

"Bye, Harry. Hope your next class goes okay."

Harry paused a second before walking away. Having already switched out his school books for his upcoming classes, Harry headed over to the greenhouse his year was working in and sat outside the door. He seriously hoped they weren't still working with defensive plants. He wasn't looking forward to getting poked, bitten or poisoned.

After a short while, a shadow fell over him. A dark-haired, pudgy boy stood over him. He looked anxious about something. Harry watched as the boy's gaze flitted to Harry's face and away several times while the boy's mouth opened and closed like a fish. The boy shuffled from side to side in a nervous dance while obviously trying to gather the courage to speak.

"Y-You're Harry Potter, right? _The_ Harry Potter?"

Irritated, Harry looked away from him. What was with these people? Why did it matter who he was? Having heard that too many times already, Harry clenched his jaw shut against the reply he wanted to make.

"My name is Neville—Neville Longbottom. I haven't really seen you around much or I would have said 'hi' sooner."

Harry remained quiet. Inside, he wished the kid would just go away or shut up. Harry didn't want to get to know them. Down _that_ road was more heartache which was on the top of Harry's list of things to avoid.

"Um, well," Neville stammered. "If you, um, have any trouble during class, you can, um, ask me if you'd like. I'm decent enough at it."

Harry snorted in disagreement with that statement. Neville wasn't _decent_ at Herbology. He was _excellent_ at it. The plants they worked with previously didn't even _try_ to attack Neville.

Mistaking Harry's reaction, Neville said, embarrassment coloring his voice, "Um, well, I'm just going to go over here and, er, leave you be, now."

Others gathered outside the greenhouse and before long, the door opened to admit them.

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"So, Harry," Remus began, amusement evident in his voice, "tell me about this girl I've seen you sitting with at meals."

It was just after Defense class, Tuesday afternoon. Class had let out a little early due to injury which left Remus some time to tease his nephew. He chuckled at the glare Harry shot him.

"She's been sitting near me, that's all. I don't know why. You'd think she'd have given up by now since I don't talk to her."

"She's quite talented. All the Weasleys are, for that matter, but she, in particular, is impressive. She's the first female Weasley in several generations, did you know?"

When Harry just stood there, arms folded across his chest, Remus sighed.

"Harry, she obviously wants to be your friend. Why don't you let her?"

"You know why," Harry all but shouted. Then he lowered his voice to just above a whisper. "Once she discovers what I am, she won't want anything to do with me so why bother?"

Remus watched his nephew in silence, saddened the boy had become so jaded at such a young age. He couldn't deny the past circumstances which had brought Harry to that conclusion but he also knew the Weasley family by reputation. If there was anyone in the wizarding world who would accept Harry _and _his issues, it would be the Weasleys. Harry needed the love of a family. No doubt, Remus loved the boy as if Harry was his own but a family like the Weasleys could give Harry the kind of love and experiences Remus could not.

"You can't go through life alone, Harry," Remus advised softly.

"You're one to talk," Harry shot back. "When was the last time you were out making friends?"

At Remus' guilty silence, Harry nodded. "That's what I thought. You can't tell me what to do when you haven't even done it."

Harry shouldered his bag. "I've got to go. Astronomy's coming up in a little while."

Remus laid a hand on Harry's shoulder, stopping him briefly. "Someone once told me it was our choices that showed us who we really are. Let her choices show you who she really is."

"Bye, Uncle Remus," Harry muttered before walking out of the room.

Remus watched Harry leave, his heart heavy in his chest. He'd hoped Harry would have liked it enough here to overcome his prejudices. Granted, it had only been a little under a month. With the full moon coming, Harry would likely be more closed-off than usual. At least the full moon hadn't come earlier in the month. He sincerely hoped little Ginny Weasley could get through Harry's tough outer shell. Perhaps a chat with the girl wouldn't be out of line.

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The week passed fairly uneventfully. The minor accidents in Defense class were the only excitement. Thankfully, it was now Friday morning. After receiving this week's daily dose of Wolfsbane potion, Harry sat in the common room with his Charms text open to the current chapter. Yawning, Harry folded his arms over his book and rested his head on his arms. Surely a short nap wouldn't hurt.

Next thing Harry knew, he was being shaken. His head shot up off his book, almost colliding with Ginny's, which had been close to his as she shook him. He watched as she studied him critically. He couldn't help feeling embarrassed at being caught sleeping at the study table.

"Are you okay, Harry?" she asked, concern filling her voice. "You're looking a little peaky."

Ginny sat in the chair beside him, dropping her book bag onto the floor. "Even your eyes are looking paler than usual. They were such a lovely emerald color but now, they're more of a yellow-green, like my birthstone, peridot."

Frowning, Harry closed his book and stuffed it into his bag. Her mentioning his eyes set him on edge. Just what he needed—another reminder of his coming transformation. Wincing only slightly when he stood, he slowly hobbled his way to the portrait door.

"Are you sure you're okay, Harry?"

Sighing, he gave in. "I'm fine."

"You don't look it."

"Gee, thanks," Harry sarcastically replied.

The entire way down to breakfast, silence reigned. By the time they'd sat down to eat, the wordless trek had him sighing, for some reason feeling a bit guilty.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"That's okay," she said with an even brighter smile, as if his talking to her had made her day.

Harry fixed himself some breakfast and slowly ate. He could feel his uncle's eyes on him from the Staff Table but Harry refused to give the man any opportunity to smirk at him. Ginny ate in silence a little while but then began telling him about her family. Her voice seemed to weave a spell on him for he listened raptly to her stories. She even got a few chuckles from him.

"Oh! There was this one time Fred and George pranked Snape," she excitedly continued, her whole face lighting up with mischief. "I wasn't here when they did it but they told me about it. See, they managed to put some kind of spell on Snape's goblet before breakfast. The instant he drank from it, there was a loud farting noise."

Enjoying the story, Harry quit eating, a half-grin on his face. Absently, he reached for his goblet and raised it to his lips. Then he remembered what story she'd been telling and he looked the goblet over critically.

Guessing his thoughts, she laughed. "Don't worry, it's safe."

Harry stared at her a minute, trying to gauge whether she was being truthful. Well, only one way to find out. He took the slightest of sips. When nothing happened, he let out the breath he'd been holding and took a larger drink.

"Anyway," Ginny went on with her story. "Right after the farting sound, red and gold bubbles shot out from behind him. You can probably visualize exactly what I mean."

He had just taken a mouthful of juice when she'd continued and, getting the picture in his head, he nearly spewed his drink everywhere. Luckily, he got his free hand up in time. He choked and laughed and choked some more. He couldn't help it. The image of Snape farting Gryffindor bubbles was just too much. Harry nearly howled with laughter, drawing the attention of everyone around him but he didn't care. He laughed until he could hardly breathe. He laughed until his sides ached.

After several minutes of shared laughter, Harry finally managed to laugh himself out. Wiping the moisture from his eyes, he studied his companion. She really didn't seem all that bad. True, neither did any of the others who had turned on him. He hadn't laughed like that, though, in a long time. Maybe, just maybe, Ginny was someone he could get to know a little. She made him feel...connected...to everything. The loneliness wasn't as strong when she was around.

Harry noticed the twinkle in her eyes. "What?" he asked apprehensively.

"That prank lasted for two days."

"Merlin, I wish I could have seen that," Harry said, still snickering. "I'd love to be able to pull something on him. He's such a git."

Ginny tilted her head and studied him a second before smiling again. "That could be arranged, you know."

"I wish. But I'm not so sure I should cause any trouble because of my uncle."

"I'm sure he wouldn't care if he knew what a git Snape is."

"Oh, he knows," Harry assured her. "They were in the same year at school."

"Well, just tell him we're not planning anything harmful. He's got to understand."

Harry shook his head. "It wouldn't look good. He _is_ a professor after all."

"Oh?"

Ginny turned to the Staff Table and noticed one of the professors watching them with a teasing smile on his face. Turning back to Harry, she watched him eat a moment before commenting.

"Professor Lupin is your uncle?"

Harry glanced up at Remus, noticed the teasing expression and returned his attention to Ginny.

"Well, kind of. I mean, he's not _really_ my uncle but when my parents were—well, he raised me."

Sobering instantly, Ginny reached out and squeezed his wrist. "I'm sorry, Harry. I didn't mean to bring up a bad subject."

Acutely aware of her hand on his arm and acutely aware of the fact that it didn't bother him in the slightest, he shrugged.

"I know. It's okay."

The bell rang for the first class and Ginny scurried off, throwing a good-bye over her shoulder.

"Bye, Harry! Wish me luck with Snape, would you?"

Harry stayed put a little longer musing over the last bit of time. Ginny really did seem to brighten her surroundings. Now that she was gone, however, everything seemed dull, and loneliness crept back into his heart. A hand landed on his shoulder.

"It's good to see you laugh, Pup," whispered a voice in Harry's ear.

Harry turned to face his guardian. "It was...well, fun. She was telling me about a prank her brothers pulled on Snape."

"_Professor_ Snape, Harry, and I'd like to hear about it. Those two brothers of hers are a lot like some other pranksters I know. From what I hear, that is."

Remus patted Harry on his shoulder. "I'll see you after lunch, Harry."

Remus strode out the Great Hall doors on his way to class. He'd stayed behind to get a chance to talk to his nephew a moment, to see what had made the boy laugh so hard. Remus' heart had lifted at the sight of Harry finally enjoying himself. His laughter had rung out across the room but, for once, the boy hadn't cared how much attention he drew. Yes, Ginny Weasley was definitely good for Harry.

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The rest of Friday rushed by. Supper had been kind of fun since he actually spoke to Ginny. She'd even introduced him to her brothers, Fred and George. Harry shook his head as he lay in bed, thinking of those two. The twins were ingenious, their ideas for inventions amazing. He couldn't help but think his dad would have loved them. Yawning, he rolled over and fell into an exhausted sleep, for once having pleasant dreams.

"Hey, Harry," said a voice gently, "time to wake up."

Harry moaned and mumbled something in his sleep before rolling away from the hand shaking him.

"Come on, Pup, you need to wake up so you can get your potion taken."

Harry blearily opened his eyes. "Uncle Remus? What are you doing in here?"

"I'm trying to wake you up. That's what I'm doing in here," Remus replied with a smile.

Harry yawned, sat up and reached for his glasses. Catching a glimpse of the sun well up, his eyes bugged.

"Is it really that late?"

"It is," Remus confirmed with amusement lacing his voice. "Little Miss Weasley waited for you to come down before going to breakfast but, when you didn't show, she went on ahead. She'd thought you'd already come down and was going to try to find you when she overheard some of your dorm mates talking about you still sleeping. She got worried and found me."

"Oh." Harry could feel heat suffusing his face so he refused to look Remus in the eye.

"Harry, don't be embarrassed. She was being a friend."

Remus walked over to the water pitcher in the room, filled a goblet with water and walked back to Harry, offering the water. He conjured another goblet before pulling a flask from his robe pocket. A quick twist of his wand had the door locking. Then he poured out the dose of potion and handed it to Harry.

"Here, drink this before anyone comes up expecting to get in."

Dutifully, Harry downed the smoking potion and then quickly chased it with the water. Remus stuffed the flask back into his pocket and banished the goblet he'd conjured before unlocking the door. He patted Harry affectionately on the knee before standing.

"You'd better get up and get around. You have a friend downstairs who seems rather worried about you."

"What do I tell her?" Harry asked, worry written all over him.

"Tell her you haven't been feeling well. It would be the truth."

"She's going to catch on sooner or later, Uncle Remus. You said she was very smart."

"We'll worry about that when it comes. For now, just enjoy the friendship she's offering you."

Remus headed for the door and turned back to Harry one last time.

"Oh and I'll see you tonight after dinner." In a lower voice he said, "We'll go through the passage to the Shrieking Shack from the Whomping Willow. Maybe we'll take a run through the Forest."

Harry nodded. Just as he always did before the full moon, he felt jittery. Anxious to go exploring, especially with a wolf's senses and yet dreading the price he had to pay in order to do so. Sighing, he got up, got dressed and headed downstairs.

"Harry!" Ginny called and ran over to him. "Are you feeling okay? You look worse than you did yesterday. Do you need to see Madame Pomfrey?"

"I'm okay, Ginny. I just haven't been feeling very spectacular lately."

"Are you hungry? We can go to the kitchens and get you something."

Harry stared at her in surprise. Not even _he_ knew how to get into the kitchens. Just then his stomach let out a loud protest at its emptiness causing them both to laugh.

"I'll take that as a _yes_."

"You know where the kitchens are?"

"Of course, I do," she said, a mischievous light in her brown eyes. "You're forgetting who two of my brothers are, what they're capable of."

Conceding the point, he nodded. "Lead the way."

After a quick breakfast of cereal, fruit and toast, Ginny declared he needed some fresh air and sun so she led him out of the castle onto the grounds. Harry had to admit the sun's modest heat felt quite comforting, the slight breeze in his hair cooling. He loved being outside. The sights, the sounds, the scents, the _feeling_ of it, all combined to put him at ease. When he was young, on more than one occasion, he'd gone to play out in his yard and had actually fallen asleep there.

"Knut for your thoughts."

Ginny's voice brought Harry back from his musings. He blushed when he realized he'd been lost in thoughts of the past. She'd probably been talking to him and he hadn't paid her any attention whatsoever.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about some times when I was little."

"Good, I hope."

Harry shrugged. "Good enough." And they had been if you just counted the times with his uncle and himself.

Ginny glanced out the corner of her eye at him. There had been a slight edge to his voice just then. She'd also noticed a hint of—pain, was it? Loneliness, perhaps? There was obviously something there that he didn't want to talk about. She understood that better than most. With the whole Chamber incident, she had things _she_ didn't want to talk about either.

"Knut for _your_ thoughts."

Ginny startled out of her thoughts at that amused voice. Glancing around, she noticed they'd walked almost down to the Black Lake.

"Sorry, didn't mean to space out on you." Ginny blushed but laughed.

"It's okay. I don't mind the silence. It can be peaceful, soothing, you know?"

"Oh, trust me," she joked. "With six older brothers, I know." The smile vanished from her face. "Seriously, though, sometimes I just need to go somewhere and just _be."_

Harry was so stunned he actually stopped walking. She actually got it. She actually understood the need to just exist for a while. He'd never thought he'd find someone who could understand how that need felt. Everyone else he'd ever met seemed to always need to be doing something. Quickly, he caught back up with her.

They continued their walk in silence, each appreciating the moment for what it was. This close to the Forbidden Forest, the pull on Harry was strong. To keep himself from giving in, he sat on a boulder by the lake's shore. Ginny perched upon another sitting nearby. The pair sat in silence, eyes closed, faces upturned to the sun, relaxing.

Voices and footsteps came and went but Harry ignored them. Giggling and outright laughter also floated on the breeze. He was sure he and Ginny were getting some odd looks and were probably being ridiculed but Mother Nature was just too soothing to care. For once, he decided to just let them talk, laugh, whatever. He was enjoying himself, something that hadn't happened often in the past. To think it was all down to a petite redheaded girl. Not in a million years would Harry have guessed he'd be friends with a girl, especially one younger than himself. Oh, he'd gotten along with the occasional girl whom his uncle had tutored but it never went beyond acquaintances.

"Harry, have you ever skipped rocks?"

Opening his eyes, he saw Ginny watching him. He felt his cheeks heat and was thankful for the sun having already flushed his skin.

"Er, no, not really. I mean, I've tried but never got the hang of it."

Hopping off her rock, she motioned him over to the lake and began looking for the appropriate kind of rocks. She gathered a handful as Harry came near.

"These are the kind that work best. You have to have something fairly flat."

Ginny handed him several of the ones she'd collected then demonstrated the best way to hold and throw it. Stepping away from him, she side-armed the rock over the lake's surface. It contacted and bounced five times before falling into the water. She turned back to Harry, smiling proudly.

"Wow, Ginny, that was brilliant!"

"Now, you try."

Harry swung his arm in a flattened arc but the rock impacted with the water and sunk immediately. His second attempt wasn't any better. Nor was his third. Frustrated that something so simple seemed beyond him, he threw the next one with a slight growl. That one bounced twice before plummeting beneath the water's surface. Shocked, he stood motionless.

"You did it!" Ginny exclaimed, jumping up and down and clapping.

In her exuberance, she gave him a hug but backed away, blushing, when she realized what she was doing. An awkward silence ensued and she quickly tossed a few rocks in quick succession, watching them bounce their way along. After a few minutes, when Harry hadn't said or done anything to call attention to the hug, Ginny began to relax again.

For Harry, the hug had definitely taken him by surprise. He'd never been hugged by a girl before and he discovered it was kind of nice. He didn't understand how or why but this little slip of a girl made him happy. She chased away the normal gloom he lived under. She was the shining sun after a vicious rainstorm. Laughing at himself, he mentally shook his head. He was waxing poetic. What was she doing to him? Shoving that thought aside, he enjoyed the rest of the morning.

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All afternoon, the pair passed the time flying. Harry borrowed Remus' broom again and Ginny used one of the school brooms. To Harry's continued surprise, she could fly rather well. He did manage to teach her some quidditch moves that Remus had taught him. In fact, Remus, himself joined the two at the pitch and silently watched them fly together. He watched as Harry patiently explained a particular move and then slowly demonstrated it step by step. It struck him, at that moment, how very much like Harry's parents Harry and Ginny were. Harry looked more like James with every passing year and, with her red hair, Ginny could easily pass as Lily from a distance. What if those two ended up together? Wouldn't that just be fitting? Remus chuckled to himself at the thought.

After watching the two fly for a long while, Remus noticed that it was getting close to dinnertime. He called the kids down from the air and walked with them up to the castle.

"Miss Weasley, I'm afraid I'm going have to borrow Harry after dinner," he apologized. He met Harry's eyes briefly before continuing. "There's something he and I have to do."

"Oh, okay," Ginny happily replied. "I'll just catch back up to you after then?"

"Well, actually," Remus interjected before Harry could say anything, "we're going to be really late so he'll just stay with me for the night. Don't worry. I won't take him away from you for long."

Remus grunted at the sudden backhanded punch to his gut he received from Harry at that statement. He had to work hard not to laugh at the glare the kid threw at him. Upon reaching the castle, he left the two of them to talk and entered the Great Hall.

Harry hesitated before going into the Great Hall. Ginny knew he was keeping something from her and he was afraid she was mad. Taking a deep steadying breath, he turned to her.

"I hope you don't mind. About tonight, I mean. It's just something I have to do and I'm not really comfortable talking about it."

Seeing he was really anxious by the way he bounced from foot to foot, practically chewing his thumbnail, Ginny gently pulled his hand away from his mouth and smiled.

"It's okay, Harry. I understand. Some things are personal. It would take a lot more than that to scare me off."

Harry briefly wondered if telling her he was a werewolf would do the trick. Not wanting to think about that, he flashed her a brief smile as they continued to their table.

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After dinner, Harry retrieved an overnight bag from his dorm, said good-bye to Ginny, and hurried off to his guardian's private quarters. As the sun began to set, the pair headed out of the castle. Harry stared at the wildly swinging branches of the Whomping Willow. Remus had described the tree to him of course but the reality was so much more...threatening.

Remus glanced around for anyone watching, cast a quick Confundus Charm, just in case, then immobilized the tree.

"That charm won't last long, Harry, so get going."

Remus waited for Harry to scramble through the opening at the base of the tree before following. They walked a great distance before coming to a set of stairs that led to a trapdoor. Up the stairs, through the trapdoor and Harry found himself on the ground level of the Shrieking Shack.

"There's a room there for you to use," Remus said as he pointed over to Harry's left.

Harry entered the dust-filled, ramshackle room. A mattress lay on the floor but it looked as if it had played host to mice for years. A lopsided table stood next to the mattress. Across the room, a shattered mirror hung on the wall. Harry approached the mirror and stood there, studying his reflection. It wouldn't be long now. His nerves tingled in that way they did before a change. Harry considered it an early warning system. That and his eyes. Now, his eyes bore no resemblance whatsoever to his mother's eyes. The green had completely gone leaving them the yellow associated with a wolf.

A knock on the open door drew Harry's attention away from his reflection.

"Do you want me to stay with you?"

Harry shook his head. "I've been changing on my own for awhile now, Uncle Remus. I'm not a little kid anymore."

"I know," Remus said quietly. "A lot of things have changed for you in the last few weeks. I just thought I'd ask. I know it's still quite painful for you."

"It's alright. I get through it."

Remus silently watched his nephew. He could feel the change was just about upon them, like reaching for something barely beyond his reach. Just one look told him that Harry knew it too. The boy always trembled before the transformation. His completely yellow eyes were the other tell-tale sign.

Remus smiled, sadly. "Yes, you do," he said before walking away.

Harry hurried over and closed the door most of the way, leaving just enough space to get a muzzle through. He didn't want to run the risk of tearing his clothes so he began disrobing. He'd gotten his shirt off when the first spasm of pain hit, doubling him over and stealing his breath. Stumbling his way to the little rickety table, Harry placed his glasses upon the tabletop. Another burst of pain sent him to his knees with a cry. Breathing heavily, sweating profusely, Harry fumbled with his trousers, finally managing to remove them.

He cried out again as every nerve ending burned. He lay on the floor, unable to move any further. The change was fully beginning. Pressure in his spine as it shortened became unbearable, forcing another cry from Harry. His ribcage became deeper. Shoulders and hips curved to accommodate the new spine, shoving muscles and ligaments aside, eliciting screams almost constantly now from the young teen. His leg bones shrank and thickened. Arm bones did the same, curving inward toward his chest. Hands and feet disappeared as paws formed. More pressure in his skull marked the beginning of its conversion from human to wolf. Teeth grew and sharpened. Muscles and ligaments reformed to fit the new bones. Black fur sprouted over every inch of him. One final tortured yell, a strangling sound then a loud canine yelp echoed through the empty building accompanied by the howl of another wolf.

A smallish black wolf lay panting where Harry had been. It struggled to rise but couldn't. A whine at the door drew the black wolf's attention and it returned the sound, still breathing heavily. The door opened fully to reveal a large gray wolf. This wolf padded to the small one and nudged it. The small wolf pawed playfully at the large wolf in return. It then rose unsteadily to all fours. The gray wolf led the black one to the open trapdoor and turned to its companion as if asking whether it wanted to go down. In response, the small black wolf jumped the short distance to the floor of the tunnel and waited. The gray wolf followed and, together, the two headed for the Whomping Willow entrance.

Remus, in his gray wolf form, exited the tunnel first, peering all around for prying eyes. Timing his departure, he ran to just beyond the reach of the deadly tree's limbs. Turning back, he encouraged his nephew to come out with a quick bark and whine.

A black head poked through the entrance and warily eyed the thrashing limbs. Another sharp bark had Harry's black wolf zigzagging around the limbs, barely missing being hit by inches. Excitement coursing through him at his near misses, he playfully lunged at the bigger wolf, which easily rolled and pinned Harry. Harry whined his defeat and the gray wolf let him up.

Together, the two ran down to the lake, frolicking along the shore, sniffing trails. The Forbidden Forest called to something within Harry and he stealthily headed in that direction, Remus following closely behind. Thanks to the Wolfsbane Potion, Harry retained his human mind while in wolf form and the sights, sounds, and smells of the forest astounded him. The scurrying of nocturnal creatures tempted his wolf side to give chase but Harry resisted.

Suddenly, the ground shook under Harry's paws. The rhythmic thundering of hooves piqued his interest. A herd of centaurs galloped toward him. Shocked at seeing them in the Forbidden Forest, Harry froze. Then Remus' gray wolf was there, standing between him and the fast moving group. Like water around a boulder, the herd parted. One of them stopped, studied the two, then spoke.

"Safety is relative." He nodded as if he'd imparted some very important message before catching up to the rest of his herd.

Harry, legs quivering, sank to the ground with a sigh. Now that the danger had passed, relief at being in one piece overcame him. A whine of concern had Harry opening his eyes and he half-growled, half-snuffled in reply to let his guardian know he was fine. He suddenly felt very tired, though, and yawned. Remus nosed him, looked back in the general direction of the Whomping Willow and turned back to his companion. Harry, getting the message, stood and the two returned to the dangerous tree that hid their tunnel entrance.

After barely escaping being whacked by the flailing branches and their long trek back to the Shack, the pair curled up on a ratty old carpet and fell asleep.

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The familiar tingling woke Harry just before sunrise. Wearily, he entered his room. He stumbled as the pain hit, an agony-filled yelp escaping his mouth. He lay down to wait and it didn't take long. First, the burning of his nerve endings came. Then the incredible pressure in his spine as it lengthened, eliciting more yelps of pain. Shoulders and hips became human followed quickly by his arms and legs, hands and feet reappearing. Teeth shrank and pressure in his skull as it changed back threatened to burst his head apart. All during the change, canine cries accompanied the morphing form until the very last. As his skull became human, Harry's howl turned to a human's tortured scream.

Finally, it was over and Harry lay shivering, temporarily immobile, on the floor. Exhausted, all he wanted was to sleep but he knew he had to make it back to his uncle's quarters. A tentative knock on the door pulled him from those thoughts.

"Harry?" Remus called quietly.

" 'M okay," slurred Harry, breathless.

Remus entered the room and gathered the hastily discarded clothes from the night before then Harry's glasses from the bedside table. His motions were slow and hesitant, weariness evident on his face, and in the way he carried himself. He wished he could make the transformation easier on Harry. No one understood why, even with the Wolfsbane Potion, it hurt so much more the younger the person was. He had a theory so he'd been studying everything he could get his hands on to try to find a way to solve the problem but as of yet, he'd had no luck.

Gently, Remus helped Harry sit up and put on the shirt. After helping him to the bed, Remus handed over Harry's trousers and socks. Once those were on, he gave Harry his glasses and shoes. Remus could see the boy's energy was totally spent so they sat on the bed a few minutes before tackling the tunnel back to school.

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Uncle and nephew were just entering the castle when a surprised voice stopped them.

"Harry!"

Ginny ran over to them, engulfing Harry in a large hug. Feeling his flinch, she pulled back in time to see a pained expression on his face, one he tried to hide behind a tired smile. She took the time to truly study her friend. He looked awful. He was horribly pale with puffy red circles under his eyes. Then she noticed the eyes themselves and gasped. They were no longer the yellow-green they'd been the day before. Now, they were the dark emerald green she remembered first seeing. He yawned and swayed slightly where he stood.

"Sorry, Miss Weasley, but I need to get Harry to my rooms before he falls asleep. He'll be along after a good nap."

Ginny turned to the professor, planning to give him a piece of her mind for keeping Harry out so late but she saw the same worn out look in the man's countenance though he hid it well.

"Sure, sorry to hold you up."

"No, no," Remus disagreed, "it's always nice to talk with friends. Your concern for Harry means a lot."

Harry yawned again. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Bye, Harry," Ginny said, softly. "I'll catch up to you later. Sleep well."

Ginny gave a quick wave and left them alone.

"Come on, Harry. Let's get you to bed."

Harry gave a noncommittal reply and forced one foot in front of the other until, at last, they were inside Remus' quarters. Harry trudged toward the couch but Remus redirected Harry to the spare bedroom where the youth immediately collapsed on the bed, out like a light.

Remus lightly covered Harry, removed the boy's glasses and stood, watching him a minute. Sighing, he entered his own bedroom, covered up and fell asleep, as well.

0000000000

Ginny hadn't been the only one to notice the pair entering the castle looking for all the world like they'd gone a few rounds with a herd of hippogriffs.

"Well, well. What do you know? Lupin and Potter looking as if they've been out all night. What could they have possibly been doing?"


	4. I'm Afraid

_**They only see what I want them to. I'm afraid that if they knew the real me, they would also be afraid.**_

"Hey, Ginny," Hermione said as she passed the younger girl in the Great Hall. "Where's Harry?"

"Sleeping in," Ginny answered with a bit of a blush.

She just couldn't help it; the boy was cute. That black hair and green eyes. The thought of his eyes reminded her how they seemed to change. She'd seen some that changed from a more dominant blue to a more dominant greenish shade depending on a person's clothing and she'd seen others that were equally mixed, blue and green, or brown and green, but Harry's weren't like that. At first, they'd been emerald green. Then, as time went on, his eyes had become more yellow-green. This morning, however, they were back to being green as emeralds with maybe a tiny ring of yellow in them. Was it his mood, his seeming exhaustion, that made them so dark? Shrugging, she figured she'd find out soon enough, not that it mattered, really. She had to admit they were even more beautiful as a dark green, though.

"Still? It's getting late. Breakfast is almost over."

Hermione's question brought Ginny out of her reverie.

"Um, yeah, apparently he and his uncle had something to do last night and they just got back early this morning."

"Harry left the castle? Where did he go? He can't just go whenever it suits him. That's not fair. Wait. Uncle? I didn't think he had any family left. No uncle is mentioned in any of the books I've read."

"I don't know the where or the what," Ginny replied, starting to feel irked at the third degree, "just that it was something personal. He was with his uncle so it's not like he left by himself."

"But Ginny-,"

"Just leave it, Hermione, okay?"

Her irritation must have been noticed by the brunette for the older girl nodded her agreement reluctantly. After breakfast, Ginny wandered the castle and waited for her friend to wake.

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"Rise and shine, Pup," came a voice somewhere over his head bringing with it a hand that shook him.

Harry groaned. He was still too tired. It _couldn't_ be time to get up yet. He felt like he'd just lain down. Harry half-heartedly swiped at the voice and tried to roll away from the offending hand, letting out a pained moan as he did so. He still hurt. It was always like this right after a change, too. He really should have been used to it by now but he wasn't.

"Come on, Harry," said the voice again, a hint of amusement lacing it. "It's nearly nine o'clock. You need to get up for awhile."

Harry cracked an eye open and blearily stared at his uncle. Had he heard right or was the man pranking him?

"Nine?" he croaked in a voice heavy with sleep. "Feels like I just lay down."

"I know, Harry," Remus said sympathetically. "But you can take a nap later. You don't want your internal clock all messed up. Not with classes tomorrow. Besides," Remus added and grinned, "I'm sure your friend is waiting for you to get up."

Remus laughed outright when Harry's cheeks reddened at the teasing. The boy just made it too easy sometimes. Briefly, Remus wondered if Harry had even 'noticed' she was a girl then decided Harry probably hadn't. Watching the stain extend from Harry's face down his neck, Remus amended that thought. Maybe the boy _had_ noticed, after all. Thankfully, they'd had "that talk" already.

"Come on. You need to get around before the entire castle is awake."

"So what?" Harry asked, grumpily. "I can just say I was visiting my uncle. It'd be the truth."

"I don't think Dumbledore wants that information to become common knowledge."

"Why?"

"Think about it, Harry. To get to you, all anyone would need to do is get to me. Take me out and where does that leave you? Find out I'm a werewolf and I'm out of the castle. Anyone who knows anything about you would know that where I went, you'd follow, so you'd be away from the greatest protection you could be given."

"I suppose so."

"Anyway, get up, get dressed and get out of my room," Remus teasingly scolded.

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After dropping off his overnight bag in his dorm, Harry rushed off hoping to catch the end of breakfast. With a sigh of relief, a few students were still eating so he sat and wolfed down his cereal, toast and fruit. Done with that, he set out, wondering exactly where to go looking for Ginny and then puzzling over why he was thinking about the girl in the first place. He shouldn't get too attached to her.

"Um, Harry?" a tentative voice called.

Harry turned and groaned inwardly. It was that brunette—Hermione. She was so annoyingly nosy. What could she possibly want?

"Hi, Harry," the girl said with a smile as she joined him. "We haven't officially met. I'm Hermione Granger. I know who you are, of course."

And then she just gawked at him for a long uncomfortable minute. Then she visibly shook herself.

"Your eyes! They're so dark. Before, they were such a light shade of green."

Irritated at her lack of tact, Harry snapped back. "Was there something you wanted?"

"Well, actually, I just wanted to let you know that Ginny was heading up to the Astronomy tower for awhile. I saw her a little bit ago. She asked me to pass that along if I saw you."

"Oh. Okay, uh, thanks."

Hermione continued studying him and Harry decided to leave before she asked him something he couldn't answer. He felt her eyes on him and another flash of irritation zipped through him. He had no idea how Ginny could stand the girl. One thing was certain. Hermione struck him as the overly observant type which meant he was really going to have to watch himself around her. As he headed upstairs, he chanced a glance over his shoulder. Sure enough, she still stood there, staring, a contemplative expression on her face. Huffing, he turned back and continued up the stairs.

Once he'd gained the top of the Astronomy tower, Harry peeked through the doorway looking for his friend. It still boggled his mind to think he actually had a friend, that he cared what she thought about him. She seemed to be a genuine person. Certainly, she was a breath of fresh air to his lonely existence. Rolling his eyes, he shook his head. He was becoming a sap.

"Ginny?"

To his left,he saw the little redhead sitting on a stool on the balcony by the low wall. She met his eyes and smiled.

"Hi, Harry," she said, waving him over.

She cocked her head to study him as he joined her and leaned on the wall beside her, and Harry found, for some odd reason, he didn't mind being scrutinized by her. Maybe because when she did it, she didn't seem to be trying to find out all his secrets.

"You look a little better than you did earlier. Have a nice nap?"

"Yeah, wasn't near long enough, though," Harry joked. To get them off the subject of himself, Harry asked, "So what brings you up here?"

"No particular reason," she shrugged. "It's out of the way and you can see all the way to Hogsmeade from here."

Harry glanced in the direction she was pointing and saw a cluster of rooftops, ribbons of smoke from their chimneys twisting in the wind. He hadn't been to Hogsmeade before but, from what little he could see, it appeared to be a quaint little village.

"There's this sweets shop, Honeydukes, that makes the best candy."

Harry turned to his companion. "Have you been there?"

"No, but my brothers have told me about it. Fred and George have even brought me some sweets. Third years and up are able to go if they have permission from a parent or guardian."

"Hmm. That sounds like it would be nice to visit," his voice sounding wistful.

"You're a third year, remember? You can go."

Harry looked confused. "But you can't. Why would I go and leave you here?"

"That's sweet, Harry, but don't feel like you have to stay with me. I can entertain myself for a while."

"But it's rude!" Harry insisted.

Ginny shrugged. "It's not when I give you permission. What if I gave you a list of things to pick up for me?"

Harry snorted. "Oh, so now I'm doing your shopping, am I?"

Ginny shrugged again, the light of mischief in her eyes. "Hey, if it gets you to go and I get what I want..."

Then the two started laughing. The sound must have carried for suddenly Peeves flew up to them from his circuit of the grounds and harassed them by singing a song about two little lovebirds, setting both kids' faces aflame.

"Shut up, Peeves!" Ginny yelled.

"Go bother someone else," Harry added.

"Why would I do that when I have two perfectly good people to bother here? Especially when one is wee little Potty!"

Harry huffed. Then something his uncle told him once came back to him.

"Do I need to find the Bloody Baron, Peeves?"

The mischievous poltergeist floated away, stopped and turned back. He blew them a huge raspberry before proclaiming sulkily, " You're no fun!"

Ginny stared in shock. She didn't think anything would make the poltergeist leave. She'd always thought one had to suffer the indignities he wrought. She knew Dumbledore could set Peeves straight but she'd never heard of anyone else doing it.

"How did you know to threaten him like that?"

"My uncle told me. Peeves is actually scared of the Baron, can you believe that?"

"I can now."

The two snickered at the thought of the pranking poltergeist fearing the Slytherin ghost. Harry looked out at the landscape spread before them. It really was an amazing view. He could see the Forbidden Forest, part of the Black Lake, Hagrid's hut, Hogsmeade and the mountains beyond. A breeze kicked up and Harry closed his eyes as it blew through his hair one direction then back the way it came, enjoying the sensation.

"I can certainly see why you came up here. It's lovely."

"It's a great thinking spot when it's not being used for trysts."

"Trysts?"

"Yeah, you know, snogging and that other stuff couples do."

"Oh," he muttered, face going red. Then a look of distaste screwed his features. "Certainly wouldn't want to witness that."

"I don't know," Ginny said, eyes sparkling and a teasing note in her voice, "the snogging might not be too bad."

"Eww. No, thanks."

Harry's discomfort level reached an all time high. His blush now stained his entire face and he refused to even look at the girl next to him. He cleared his throat and frantically searched for something with which to change the subject, his hands tapping nervously on the low stone wall in front of him. Then he heard the snort beside him. Looking over, he saw Ginny biting her lip, barely containing her laughter. Then, unable to control it any longer, she busted out laughing.

"I'm sorry, Harry," she said between laughs. "I was just teasing you. The look on your face! That was priceless!"

Harry didn't know whether to be hurt because she was laughing at him or to laugh with her because he probably had looked rather funny. Suddenly her eyes widened and she sobered immediately.

"Oh, Harry, I wasn't trying to be mean. Please don't think that." Her whole demeanor changed at that thought. "I should have thought before I spoke. Sometimes I have a bad habit of not thinking first. Please don't be upset."

Harry could tell she was absolutely sincere in her worry so he sought to put her at ease. He forced a smile onto his face and looked her right in the eyes.

"It's okay. You didn't hurt my feelings really. You're not the type who would intentionally do something like that. It's just that...," he paused to gather exactly what words to use. "It's just that you seem to know so much about everything and I don't really know much of anything."

Confused, Ginny asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well," he said, his hands making circles in the air as he talked, "like, you know, er, the whole...boy/girl thing. I didn't even know what you were talking about."

"Well, remember, I've got six older brothers. With that many boys in the house, one tends to learn some things. Snogging's not so bad. It's the other stuff that's a bit too much."

She sounded as she had firsthand knowledge about that so he had to ask.

"Have you actually kissed a boy?"

"Yeah," she said, not the least bit embarrassed. "once, in the village near our house. There was this muggle boy who I thought was kind of cute. He kind of liked me too so, one day, when I had gone into the village with Mum, she let me wander around and play with the kids. Well, this boy and I went into an alley and he kissed me."

Despite himself, Harry was intrigued. "And?"

"And it wasn't too bad—until Mum caught us." She shuddered. "Started yelling at me and marched me straight home, lecturing the entire way. Made me de-gnome the garden and help clean the Burrow from top to bottom."

"Hmm." Harry seemed lost in thought.

"You haven't kissed a girl, have you?" she said though it was more statement than question.

Harry's eyes shifted back to Ginny. He could feel the heat rise in his face again. "Er, no, I haven't."

"It's not anything to be embarrassed about, Harry. Are you curious? About what it's like?"

Harry shrugged, not sure how to answer. On the one hand, yes, he was curious. Ginny had said it wasn't so bad. On the other hand, he really didn't want to know what he couldn't have. No girl would willingly date a werewolf and she certainly wouldn't like that he had to keep secrets from her.

"I can show you, if you'd like."

That brought Harry's attention right back to the girl at his side. Did she just say what he _thought_ she'd just said? For some strange reason, his heart raced. Did he want her to? Or didn't he? Would it really hurt anything? Apparently, a lot of kids their ages have already experienced it. Maybe if he let her, he'd fit in just a tiny bit more in this world.

"Or if you'd rather not, that's okay, too," Ginny said into his silence, trying to reassure him.

"Er," he gulped, cleared his throat and spoke, "I think, maybe, that I'd like to know."

"Okay. First, close your eyes."

"Why?"

"It's just better if you do."

Harry complied and Ginny slid off her stool and stepped directly in front of him. Licking her lips a bit, Ginny stood on her tiptoes and, with the breeze blowing her hair off to the side, she closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his.

It was a sweet, innocent kiss as first kisses at that age usually were. A mere pressing of lips to lips, though it lingered. Several moments later, Ginny pulled away and sat back on the stool. Noticing his gaze on her, she smiled.

"So, what did you think?"

What _did_ he think? It was certainly a pleasant experience, better than he'd imagined anyway. Would he want to go around doing that all the time? Probably not but he didn't want to hurt Ginny's feelings, either. So what could he possibly say?

"That bad, huh?"

"No!" he nearly shouted in his haste to contradict her, "It was really nice, actually. I just—I don't know that I'd want to go around doing that all the time like those older couples do."

"Oh, me neither," Ginny said, sounding relieved. "It was nicer with you than with that muggle boy, though. Maybe because we're friends."

"Yeah, maybe it depends on the person you're with and how you feel about them," agreed Harry.

"Anyway," Ginny smiled, "now you've had your first kiss."

"Yeah." Harry unknowingly licked his lips. And most likely his only kiss, but he tried not to dwell on that.

"Oh, look," Ginny cried, pointing down at the courtyard below, "there's Ron and Hermione! From the looks of things, Hermione's on a tear again."

Indeed, it did appear as if Hermione was ranting about something, her hands gesticulating wildly as she walked beside Ron. As they watched, Ron turned to face her, his hands on his hips and yelled back at her. Harry shook his head. He just could not understand how anyone could handle being around that girl.

Ginny snickered. "I tell you. If _anyone_ needed a good snog it would be _those_ two."

"You can't be serious," Harry said, utter disbelief on his face and in his voice.

"Oh, yes, I am. I've seen how Ron sneaks glances at her sometimes and Hermione has practically told me she likes him, though I have no idea why. He's thick as a brick."

"She gets on my nerves. How can you stand to be around her? I don't mean for that to sound mean but she just...irritates me with all the questions and she stares at me like she's trying to analyze me or something."

Ginny laughed at the accurate description. "Yeah, she can be over the top sometimes but she really is nice if you give her a chance. She loves puzzles; she just can't help herself and, like it or not, you're one giant puzzle to her."

Harry groaned. "Great."

"She's very smart and not used to being shown up in class. From what I hear, you've challenged her a lot. She's not the brightest one anymore."

"I can't help that. I'm not going to hold back just to satisfy her ego."

"I'm not saying that you should, Harry. Besides, I think the competition is good for her."

Ginny winked at Harry and laughed. "The only advice I can give you is to just give her a chance. She's a loyal friend. She's also the perfect person to go to if you need help researching something. Hermione spends a lot of her time in the library."

Ginny lowered her voice to a whisper, despite them being alone. "She told me the Sorting Hat considered putting her in Ravenclaw. She was put in Gryffindor instead for a reason. Something to keep in mind."

"Yeah, I suppose so."

Suddenly, Harry stilled as if listening to something. Straining, she couldn't hear a thing.

"What's wrong?"

"Someone's coming."

Two seconds later, Ginny could hear footfalls on the steps. Wandering over to the doorway, they looked down and saw something they immediately wished they hadn't. A couple of seventh years, by the looks of them, were plastered together, sharing open-mouthed kisses, tongues occasionally visible. The boy's hands slipped under the girl's shirt and groped her chest. Little noises escaped their mouths as they slobbered all over each other.

Harry looked at Ginny, completely revolted and saw the same thing on her face before she smiled wickedly. Turning back, she called to the couple below.

"Hello! What'cha doing?"

The couple didn't even seem to hear her. Their lower bodies pressed and rubbed together. Harry, sure he was about to gag, cleared his throat, loudly. That sprang the two apart.

"Oi! What are you doing up there?" the boy demanded.

"Certainly not what you're doing," Harry cheekily replied.

"Well, come down!"

"No!" Ginny jumped in, her chin jutting stubbornly, "We were here first. You go somewhere else to have your little...whatever."

"Come on," the older girl coaxed her boyfriend, "let's go find somewhere else."

As the couple walked away, muttering, Harry and Ginny busted out laughing. Ginny returned to her stool while Harry leaned against the door, watching the pair leave and tried to regain his composure. Their laughter must have disturbed a colony of bats for a mass of tiny black bodies suddenly flew from the rafters. The immense cloud flew right at Ginny, who twisted this way and that, swatting them away from her. Her motion knocked her off balance and suddenly she was falling over the wall.

"Ginny!"

Harry shot towards his friend the instant he realized she was going to fall. Nearly launching himself over the wall, he caught her wrist, wincing at the sudden jerk on his shoulder.

"Gotcha!"

"Harry!" she screamed, her eyes huge and filled with fright.

"It's okay! I've got you!" he said while barely keeping himself from tumbling over the short wall. His knees and free hand were the only things keeping him from falling.

The breeze that had been comfortable earlier now seemed menacing as it caused Ginny to sway as she dangled high above the ground. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she realized she wasn't getting out of this situation alive. She didn't want to die. Not yet. But she couldn't see any way out of the predicament she was in. She grabbed Harry's wrist with her free hand.

"Don't cry, Ginny," Harry comforted her, "I'm not going to let you fall."

"How?" she tearfully asked, "I'm too heavy for you to pull me up."

"Says who?"

"My oldest brothers. They say I'm too heavy for them to lift anymore."

Harry attempted a smile. "Well, you're not for me."

Harry barely shifted his position on the wall and slipped further over an inch. Ginny screamed again, her cries lost to the suddenly brisk wind. The rough rock edges dug into Harry's sore muscles but he didn't feel it, so focused he was on Ginny. His mind frantically sought some sort of solution, something that would help give him more purchase. That's when he noticed the irregular nooks and crannies of the rock wall and an idea came to him.

"Ginny! Ginny, listen to me!" He continued, as calmly as he could, once her attention was on him. "I need your help. Look at the wall in front of you. Can you see how there's bits that stick out and other parts that are recessed inward, like pockets?"

Ginny bravely looked at the section of wall directly in front of her and nodded.

"Okay. What I need, Ginny," Harry said slowly, reassuringly, though his heart pounded, "is for you to try to find something to brace your feet against, some kind of toehold. Can you do that?"

Ginny tried but her feet kept slipping. More tears leaked from her eyes as she looked back up at the boy who held her life in his hand.

"I can't!"

"Yes, you can, Ginny! Keep trying!"

"No, I can't!"

Deciding a different tactic was in order, Harry hardened his voice somewhat and hoped for all he was worth that she'd react like he thought she would.

"That's right, you can't. You're too little. What was I thinking?"

Ginny's resolve hardened and he knew it had worked when she yelled back at him.

"I am _not_ too little! Just watch me!"

She struggled to get her toes in some kind of hole, anything to brace upon. Finally, her toes found what she'd been desperately searching for and she shot him a triumphant, albeit a tearful, smile.

"I told you I could do it!"

"Yes, you did," he said, barely covering his smile.

Harry used the tiny bit of slack to help get a better position on the wall so that he wouldn't end up falling over it. Already, his muscles were protesting the extra exertion and the hardest part was yet to come. His shoulder and arm ached from the strain of Ginny's weight. Clenching his teeth, he inhaled deeply and, with a strength someone his size shouldn't have, Harry heaved Ginny, inch by inch, back up.

By the time she reached the edge of the wall, Harry was shaking from the effort. He grabbed her with his other arm and hauled her the rest of the way up and over, collapsing onto the floor with her. His breath hitched, he shook all over and was covered in sweat; he felt totally drained. He'd been tired when he'd come up here but that was nothing compared to now. He literally had no strength left. For once, he was thankful for being a werewolf.

Ginny sobbed and clung to her savior, trembling with relief. Somehow, he'd done it! She had no idea how he'd managed but, right this second, she didn't care. She was just grateful to be back on solid ground again.

As Ginny cried, Harry awkwardly patted her back. Not having experience with crying girls, he had no idea what to do to help so he kept his mouth shut and patted her back like he'd seen others do. It seemed to work as she slowly calmed down. He could feel her eyes on him as she sat up.

"You saved me," her voice still held a hint of awe.

"What, you think I was just going to let you fall?" Harry joked, wearily.

"How? Harry, my brothers can't even lift me anymore. How can you?"

Harry's gaze flitted to hers but didn't linger. He couldn't tell her, that was for sure. To stall, he rolled away from her, groaning as his muscles protested their recent abuse. Between the transformation and rescuing Ginny, Harry was positive he was going to be sore for awhile.

"Harry?" came Ginny's hesitant voice.

Harry looked back at his friend and lied. "Er, adrenaline, I reckon. Or maybe magic. Maybe a combination of both."

Ginny watched him for a minute before nodding. "Yeah, could be. However you did it, thank you, Harry."

Harry shrugged in response, a bit embarrassed. He hadn't done it for thanks. He hadn't even thought about it, just reacted. He couldn't stand by and let her fall, even if it meant revealing more about himself that made her question him. Suddenly, he yawned.

"Sorry," he muttered.

Ginny perused her friend, taking in the darkness under his eyes and the slight paleness to his complexion. "You look absolutely knackered. Come on, let's go to the common room. You can have a kip there."

Ginny stood and offered a helping hand, which Harry took gladly. At a turtle's pace they made their way to the bottom of the stairs. By the time they'd reached the bottom, Harry felt as if he'd been hit by a Jelly-Legs Jinx. He tried to hide how tired he really was but after tripping over his own feet three times, Ginny huffed in exasperation and threw an arm around his waist to help hold him steady.

At last, they reached the Fat Lady and gained entrance to their common room. Ginny helped Harry over to the couch, which thankfully was still unoccupied. She figured everyone must have been outside enjoying the weather and that suited her purpose just fine. Harry dropped onto the couch like a stone, wincing, a weak moan escaping though his mouth was firmly shut.

"Harry, are you okay?" Ginny asked. He kept flinching and moaning and she couldn't help but wonder if he'd hurt himself while trying to help her. "Do we need to get Madame Pomfrey?"

"Nah," Harry sighed as he slid down so he was lying on the couch. "Jus' tired." Within a few seconds, Harry was sound asleep.

Ginny worried for her friend. Sitting on the floor before him, she watched over him. She'd never seen him so tired, other than early this morning. She was half-afraid he was coming down with something. Spying a blanket thrown over one of the side chairs, she pulled it off the chair and covered Harry's sleeping form. For a split second, she contemplated going to get one of her school books but decided against it. Resting her head on the couch cushion, she waited.

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It wasn't long before Hermione entered the room, arms laden with books. She plopped them down on the table near the fireplace with a loud thump and was immediately shushed.

"Ginny?"

"He's sleeping, Hermione," she said, indicating the form on the couch.

The brunette walked over to the couch and was surprised to see Harry sprawled there.

"Again?"

"It was kind of a rough morning," Ginny replied, not daring to look at the girl.

Hermione, sensing there was more to the story, asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well...," Ginny hesitated but then shared the story with her friend. The only part she left out was the kiss she and Harry had shared. _That_ wasn't anyone's business but hers and Harry's.

"And he just pulled you up?" Hermione asked, astonished, once Ginny finished her tale. "Just like that?"

The younger girl nodded and Hermione turned her attention to the sleeping boy. "Ginny, there's no way he should have been able to do that. I mean, you're almost as tall as he is. Boys his age don't have that much upper body strength."

"Well, I'm here, aren't I?" Ginny asked, her temper flaring. "And how would you know about boys his age, anyway?"

Hermione flushed in embarrassment. "Oh, well, when Mum told me about, you know, _stuff, _she told me a little about boys, too."

Ginny felt her face heat. Yes, her mum had had 'the talk' with her but her mum had failed to mention anything about boys. _Not _that she was all that interested, really. She'd seen enough of her brothers' behaviors to put her off wanting to know more. She caught the expression on her friend's face and almost regretted saying anything.

"Hermione, you can't say anything. My brothers would freak if they knew. I don't think Harry would want the kind of attention this would bring if it got out. Promise me."

Hermione hesitated. Something didn't seem right to her. She guessed Harry _could_ have done it with the help of adrenaline or magic. She'd heard stories of muggles doing extraordinary things because of adrenaline but it didn't seem to fit. She felt as if the answer was there lurking just beyond her reach.

"Hermione?"

"I promise I won't say anything," the bushy-haired girl finally said. She never promised not to do any research, however.

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"Well, now, isn't this interesting," drawled a male voice.

The man read a letter he'd just received. He sat in his favorite chair by a fireplace, sipping a tumbler of firewhiskey. He wore opulent robes of green and black with serpent pins adorning his chest. On one pinky, he wore a signet ring with a green stone in the center, his initials etched into it, more serpents etched along the sides. Everything about the man spoke of aristocracy, wealth, power. The room in which he sat was decorated extravagantly with antiques and heirlooms. Green and black were dominant colors with serpents being the dominant motif. Clearly, this was a man who shared in Salazar Slytherin's beliefs.

"Very interesting, indeed," he said to himself.

The man's cold gray eyes narrowed in thought before he languidly stood and approached the hearth. Reaching into an ornate vase, he withdrew some glittery green powder and threw it into the fireplace and watched as the orange flames turned green.. Kneeling before it, he placed his head into the flames and called out a name.

After a brief conversation, the man removed his head from the flames, an evil smile on his face.

"I've got you now, Potter. Soon your little secret will be revealed to the world. What will the masses say about you then? Soon you will be within my grasp and I'll be rewarded when the Dark Lord makes his return."

Sitting down at his rolltop desk, the man gathered parchment, ink and quill. Carefully, he penned a short note, sealed it with his insignia in wax and went in search of the family's eagle owl to deliver the message.

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A big form slunk in the shadows, from building to building. With relative ease, it made its way through the village and headed toward the castle. Using the forest to stay hidden, it cautiously bypassed the stone and wood hut. At the edge of the forest, it sat and watched, waiting for its chance to strike.

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The rest of that Sunday, Harry and Ginny worked on their homework. To Harry's discomfort, he'd caught Ginny's friend, Hermione, watching him. He tried to ignore her but could feel her eyes on his back and it made concentrating difficult. On the other hand, he was sitting next to Ginny, who kept cracking jokes about History of Magic, keeping him from being completely uncomfortable. At first, he was afraid things would be awkward between them after what happened earlier, not to mention that kiss, but Ginny acted normally, putting Harry at ease. Pushing it to the back of his mind, he relaxed and enjoyed his friend's humorous commentary on her History reading assignment.

The next morning, Ginny headed off to Potions class while Harry headed to Care of Magical Creatures. As Hagrid began explaining flobberworms and their uses, Harry grew bored so he sat on a hollow log. His eyes wandered over the gathered class. Several others weren't paying much attention either and not bothering to hide the fact. Others were staring, on the surface looking as if paying attention but a closer inspection showed their glazed eyes. Still others actually _were_ listening and taking notes, even.

Harry noticed Draco watching him, a smirk on his face. It was such a gloating expression that Harry felt the first tendrils of panic setting in. Draco obviously knew something that Harry didn't. Was he going to make trouble, after all? With a monumental effort, Harry tore his gaze from the blonde Slytherin.

Harry tuned out Hagrid's lecture as he considered this new development. The more he thought about it the more he started to panic. His instincts were screaming at him that his secret was about to be disclosed to the world. He really needed to talk to to his uncle. Tempted to skive off Potions in order to have that talk, the thought of Draco spreading word of how he'd intimidated Harry into skipping class had him changing his mind. He, Harry, might be getting exposed for what he was but he wasn't going to just roll over and give up, either.

For a second, he tuned back into the lesson only to hear Hagrid still going on about the flobberworms and he immediately tuned back out. As his gaze raked across the class once more, he saw something in the woods. When he glanced back, it was gone. Harry sat up straighter in an attempt to see better and thought he caught the barest hint of an outline blending in with the blackness of the forest. From this distance, he couldn't make out what it was nor could he hear anything but the rustling of his classmates.

Unable to decipher anything further, he gave up and turned his attention back to class and found Hermione watching him, eyes narrowed in speculation. Had he given himself away somehow? Harry couldn't figure out how he could have. No, more than likely she was trying to solve the puzzle that was Harry Potter, just as Ginny had informed him. He held her gaze a long moment, almost daring her to say something to him after class. Her eyes suddenly widened as if something had occurred to her and she quickly turned away from him. A sense of foreboding crashed upon him.

The instant class was over, Hermione took off running back toward the castle, flipping through her book. Sighing in resignation, Harry headed for Potions. She was on to him; she had to be. One more thing to talk to his uncle about. Maybe Uncle Remus could kind of feel her out, see if she really had figured it all out already. Maybe he could even convince her not to talk.

Ooooooo

After an awful time in Potions, he was so distracted, he was unable to brew his potion correctly, to Snape's sneering delight, Harry rushed to Remus' classroom.

"Uncle Remus!" he called upon entering the room.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked, taking in the boy's pale complexion and panicked expression.

"Draco," Harry puffed, out of breath from running up all those stairs, "He knows something. He has to. The way he was looking at me during Care of Magical Creatures this morning. It was like he knew something I didn't."

"Harry, Draco is a bit pompous, I'll grant you that, but just because he smirks at you doesn't mean he knows anything."

"You didn't see him. It was in his eyes. I'm telling you, he knows."

Harry took a deep breath, let it out slowly. "I don't think he's the only one, either."

"What are you talking about, Harry?"

"That girl, Hermione, she was watching me, too. I caught her staring and then suddenly she got this look on her face like she'd figured something out. She turned around in such a hurry, like she was afraid to look at me or something."

"Harry," Remus said gently, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, "I think you're getting just a little paranoid here."

"No, I'm not!" Harry insisted, shrugging off Remus' hand. "I'm telling you, they know!"

Remus glanced at his open doorway then shut and locked his door with a flick of his wand.

"Harry, listen to me. You can't panic every time someone says something about werewolves. Now, it's possible Draco has some idea, but if he knew for sure, why hasn't he said anything?"

"Well, I don't know!"

"Harry-,"

"What about Hermione, then? She's brilliant. You know she is. She's the type to read ahead. What if she's already read the chapter on werewolves in our Defense book? She's friends with Ginny. Ginny's bound to notice some things and tell her about them."

"Harry, calm down. If it'll make you feel any better, I'll look into it, but I really do think you're imagining things."

Remus glanced at the clock in the room and decided he had a few more minutes.

"Now, about Ginny. Why are you so worried about her noticing anything? Did something happen?"

"Well, she's already noticed my eyes, you know that." Remus nodded and Harry continued. "Well, yesterday, we were talking at the top of the Astronomy tower and some bats flew out and knocked Ginny over the wall but I caught her, obviously."

"Wait. How is it that no one knows about this?"

"It all happened so fast. It was windy so our voices probably carried away from everyone. Besides, who actually looks UP at the castle?"

Remus conceded the point and made a motion for Harry to continue.

"Well, I pulled her back over the wall. She told me her brothers can't lift her anymore and asked how it was that I could."

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her it was probably just adrenaline or my magic helping but I don't think she bought it, not really."

"Has she said anything else about it?"

"No."

"Then I wouldn't worry about it. If she brings it up again, then maybe you and I should chat with her."

"Well," Harry was obviously uncertain about taking this route, "okay, if you think so."

"Trust me." Remus said with a smile. "Now, I have a class to teach so I'll see you later."

Harry nodded. Remus unlocked and opened the door.

"Come on in, class. Sorry about that."

Several students looked at Harry curiously, trying to figure out why he had been talking to their professor. Others ignored Harry completely to which Harry was perfectly fine with. Instead of going directly back to the common room, Harry wandered around the castle awhile, pondering his conversation with Remus and wondering what he'd do if Ginny did bring up the subject of his rescue again.

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"So, Harry," Ginny said once they'd eaten lunch. "Tryouts for the Quidditch team are this Saturday. Are you going to try out?"

"Honestly, I wouldn't even know which position to try out for."

Harry remembered one Quidditch Day Puddlemere United had set up for kids. It had been his birthday and he remembered thinking he'd like to tryout for Seeker one day, but that had been so long ago. Surely, he'd changed since then.

"Hmm," Ginny's eyes clouded over in thought a moment then brightened. "Fred and George are on the team, they're Beaters, and I bet they could convince Oliver to let you practice at each position to see which you'd like to try out for."

Harry couldn't deny the fact that being on the team appealed to him. He didn't like the special treatment, however, and told her so.

Ginny rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Harry, you wouldn't be getting any special treatment. You'd still have to try out. This would just let you get a feel for each position and see where your natural talent lies. Your dad played Chaser, you know."

Harry's eyebrows rose in surprise. "How do you know that?"

"I've seen his name on the Quidditch trophy in the trophy room."

Seeing his confusion, Ginny asked, "You didn't know there is a trophy room?"

Harry thought back to what he could remember of the conversations he and Remus had had about Hogwarts. Somehow, the trophy room had never come up. He shook his head in answer to Ginny's question.

"Come on, there's just enough time before class. I'll show you. If you're done, that is."

Harry gathered his rucksack and motioned for her to lead the way. The pair climbed their way to the third floor. A loud clanking sound came from one of the rooms before Peeves came flying out, hooting and hollering. He started to tease the young pair again but one look from Harry reminded Peeves of the boy's threat the day before and he decided against it. Swooping off, he sang a song comparing Hufflepuff students to bumblebees.

Ginny led Harry into the room and directly to the trophy with James Potter's name. Then she stood back a little to give Harry some privacy. She watched as one hand slowly came up and lightly traced the name. He looked to her to be in awe at seeing the name there; sadness also tinged the gesture. Wandering around, she came upon a list of Head Boy and Head Girl names over the years. Two names jumped out at her.

"Harry," she said, hesitant to intrude upon his private moment. When he glanced up at her, she continued, pointing. "They were Head Boy and Girl, too."

Harry had known this, too, but seeing their names on that plaque, he felt some kind of connection to them. It was like physical proof they'd walked the same halls he's walking, taken the same classes he's taking. Like with the trophy, his hand reverently traced their names. Tears threatening to fall, Harry clenched his teeth to hold them at bay and turned away from the plaque and the girl beside him. He inhaled deeply, desperately attempting to get control of himself. Glancing at his watch, he cleared his throat.

"We need to get to class," he said, voice somewhat husky and barely glancing at Ginny, "I have go all the way out to the greenhouses."

Ginny smiled softly, knowing full well Harry wasn't comfortable showing his emotions. "Yeah and I need to get to Defense class."

With a final glance at the plaque and trophy, Harry left the room. He and Ginny walked in silence to her class. Remus was standing in the hall cheerfully greeting his students until he saw Harry's saddened face.

"Harry? Is everything okay?"

Harry met his uncle's eyes for only a moment before nodding and muttering, "Herbology." Then he drifted off, hands in his trouser pockets, head down, rucksack bouncing against his side.

Remus turned to Ginny, brow furrowed in concern. Something told him it wasn't Herbology that put that look on his nephew's face.

"I took him to the Trophy Room," she explained. "He saw the Quidditch trophy with his dad's name on it and the Head Boy and Girl plaque."

Ginny studied her professor with narrowed eyes, a little short with the man for not having told Harry about it previously.

"Why didn't you tell him about the Trophy Room?"

Remus looked down at the pint-sized girl, arms folded across her chest, and couldn't help the chuckle that escaped. Here he was, being scolded by another redhead. She reminded him so much of Lily. Then he sighed.

"Honestly, I don't know. I know I should have."

"Yes, you should have," she retorted.

"I'll talk to him, okay?" At her nod, he smiled. "Come on, Miss Weasley, time for class."

0000000000

Wednesday after supper found Harry, Ginny, Oliver, Fred and George and Angelina Johnson down at the Quidditch pitch. Harry borrowed Remus' broom, begging his uncle not to show up for this, for Harry was nervous enough.

"Now, Harry," Oliver began. "I've seen you fly so why don't we start with the Quaffle?"

Harry shrugged.

"Okay, we'll start with some easy passes. That's why Angelina's here." he said, indicating the dark-skinned girl next to him. "She plays Chaser and you and she will be tossing the Quaffle back and forth."

Oliver hesitated then lamented. "Too bad Alicia couldn't join us. It would be nice to have a third Chaser up there."

"I can do it," Ginny piped up. "I've been flying for years and I've always wanted to play Chaser."

Oliver sized up the pint-sized Weasley. She was little, true, but the Weasleys had lots of Quidditch talent, generally speaking. If she proved to be any good, he could encourage her to try out so, in the end, he agreed.

Up in the air, Angelina started them off flying in a straight line, her in the middle. She tossed the ball to Ginny, who easily caught it and tossed it back. Then Angelina tossed the ball to Harry and he completely missed it. Recovering the ball, they tried again. After several tries, two things became apparent. Harry was rubbish as Chaser. The fast paced back and forth between the three of them proved to be out of his depth. Needless to say, Harry was highly disappointed he showed no talent for the position his father played. However, Ginny appeared to excel and, after some encouragement from both Angelina and Oliver, decided to try out for the team.

Next was Fred and George's turn. Once again, Harry hit the air. Using one of the school's Beater bats, as the twins had their own, Harry practiced hitting the Bludger at each of them in turn. He did okay with his aim but, again, the back and forth bit eluded him. After a few minutes of this, Oliver called them down.

"Not bad, Potter," the captain allowed. "Maybe with a little work but with Fred and George on the team, you wouldn't get much game time unless something happened to one of them."

Disheartened, Harry nodded his understanding. A gentle squeeze to his hand brought his attention to the girl who had joined him.

"Don't worry, Harry. There's still Seeker. It may be the toughest position to play but I've seen your reflexes. I think you'll be perfect."

A smile played at one corner of Harry's mouth. "Thanks."

Oliver pulled out a walnut-sized golden ball that immediately sprouted wings and flew off. Harry watched as the tiny ball zoomed across the pitch to the Slytherin stands.

"Oh, bugger," Oliver said, looking in every direction. "Where did that thing go? I promised Madame Hooch I wouldn't lose it."

Harry looked at Oliver questioningly, unable to believe the older boy couldn't see it. Glancing at the others, they, too, were looking all around for the ball. He looked back where he'd last seen the winged ball and it was still there.

"Er, it's over there," Harry pointed, "by the Slytherin stands."

The others looked in that direction. Oliver's gaze jumped between Harry and the stands the younger boy had indicated.

"I don't see it. Are you sure?"

"Yeah! I'm looking right at it. It's right there by-," he stopped when the Snitch suddenly veered away from the stands to hover by the magical megaphone used by the game commentator.

"Now, it's over where the game commentator sits."

After studying the spot for a long minute, Oliver exclaimed. "There it is! I see it now!"

The captain turned back to Harry. "You saw it when it was way over there?" Harry nodded. "And then saw it move?"

Again, Harry nodded, confused as to why Oliver was asking. He watched as Oliver, the twins, and Angelina exchanged glances as huge grins spread across their faces.

"Harry," Oliver said, draping an arm along Harry's shoulders, "I think we've just found the position for you. To be absolutely sure, I want you to go retrieve the Snitch."

Harry shrugged, mounted his broom and took flight. Just before he reached it, the Snitch shot off in another direction. The little golden ball led him on a merry chase around one set of goal hoops, down to the ground, across the pitch, through one of the hoops on the other side to which Harry had to dodge, to the top of the Hufflepuff stands. Then it shot straight up in the air, Harry hot on its trail, only to come straight back down.

Harry continued to follow, his eyes not leaving the golden prize. It was as if his vision had tunneled to block out everything but the Snitch. Stretching out a hand, his fingertips brushed the metallic ball. Urging as much speed as he could from Remus' broom, he shot forward just enough for his hand to close around the Snitch. Suddenly, his vision cleared and he realized he was dangerously close to hitting the ground. Yanking up on the handle, Harry performed a perfect Wronski Feint.

A little out of breath, he leisurely flew over to the waiting group. Ginny grinned widely, jumping up and down in her exuberance. The others all wore expressions of disbelief with healthy doses of awe along with a little joy mixed in. He dismounted and Ginny immediately launched herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. Then she must have realized what she'd done for she jumped back in a hurry, blushing. Harry felt his own face heat some, especially once he noticed the twin smirks on Fred and George's faces.

"Harry!" Oliver yelled, laughing ecstatically, "That was bloody brilliant! If you were a girl, I'd kiss you!"

Oliver, not noticing Harry's increasingly reddening face, continued. "The position is yours! I knew you could fly but that-,"

Oliver shook his head, completely at a loss for words, causing Angelina to laugh.

"Congratulations, Harry!" she said, with a wink. "You're the first person to render Oliver speechless in a long while."

"Hey, Harry," started Fred, "now you just need-"

"-to get a decent broom," finished George.

"Wait, Oliver," protested Harry as soon as what the older boy had said registered, "I don't want any special treatment. Everyone else has to try out. I should, too."

"Fine," Oliver replied, not letting the protest spoil his mood, taking the Snitch from Harry. "If no one else tries out for the position, though, you don't have to. Is that fair enough?"

"I suppose."

"Alright, then, see you on Saturday."

The older students patted Harry on the back or shoulders before taking their leave, Oliver levitating the trunk that contained the Quidditch balls to return to Madame Hooch. Angelina returned the brooms she and the twins had used and borrowed Beater's bat to the equipment shed.

"That was so wicked, Harry!"

Harry smiled down at the ball of energy that was Ginny. "Thanks, Ginny."

"I told you you had talent. It was just a matter of figuring out where you belonged."

It suddenly dawned on Harry that he _really_ wanted to belong, wanted it more than he'd thought. Just to belong _somewhere_. He remembered Draco's insinuations and Ginny's friend, Hermione's staring, and the joy inside faded. He didn't belong here, either, not really. Outwardly, he was just like all the others. But the beast within set him apart and always would. He'd do well to remember that.

Pasting a smile on his face that didn't come close to reaching his eyes, he walked Ginny back to the shed to put her broom away. He let her chatter all the way back to the castle. After a brief stop to return his uncle's broom, Ginny retelling how it had gone, the two headed back to Gryffindor tower. Harry claimed he was tired and climbed the stairs to his dorm room. Once there, he showered, dressed in his night clothes and pulled the bed curtains around him. Lying back, he contemplated all that had happened so far.

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Hermione watched Harry Potter climb the boys' staircase. Ginny was alone. This was her chance.

"Ginny, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure, Hermione, what's up?"

The bushy-haired girl led the younger girl to a private corner of the room, her Defense text in her hand. After sitting at the table, Hermione stared worriedly at her friend then looked down at the book she was clutching. Taking a deep breath, she placed the book on the table.

"There's something you need to know."

"About what?"

Try as she might, she couldn't bring herself to outright speak her suspicions so Hermione slid the text over to Ginny.

"Turn to page 394."

"What?" Ginny asked, puzzled at the odd request.

Hermione closed her eyes, gathering strength. "Just do it. Please."

Exasperated, Ginny picked up the book and turned to the suggested page.

"Werewolves?" she asked, baffled now.

"Read the characteristics of one."

Skipping down to the appropriate section, Ginny began to read.

_**How does one tell a werewolf in its human form? Sometimes it's not obvious. Here are some things that might betray a werewolf. The wolf form has excellent hearing, sight and smell and this often carries over to the human form, though only one of the senses has ever been documented to carry over. Also, the human can display strength far beyond what would be considered normal. Do not confuse these regular shows of strength with those done by normal people in emergency situations. Just before the full moon, the human will often display mood swings or anxious behavior. Before and after a full moon, the young werewolf will also act as if in pain. Transformations, for the young, are extremely painful, even with the Wolfsbane Potion. Also, the individual will appear ragged and exhausted. Another good sign of a werewolf in human form is the eyes. In wolf form, the eyes are yellow like a regular wolf. The human's eyes will often have a slight yellowing around the pupil and will slowly gain more yellow as the full moon approaches. The degree of change varies from werewolf to werewolf. Some do not change at all. After the full moon has passed, the eyes will return to their normal color, repeating the cycle. Note: It is well documented some normal humans' eyes change color. Also, some werewolves use a charm to hide their changing eyes.**_

"Okay, so?" Ginny asked after finishing.

"Sound like anyone we know?"

"Er, no," Ginny replied, drawing out the last word.

"Oh, come on, Ginny. Weren't you just telling me of a certain incident that occurred on Sunday?"

When Ginny continued to stare blankly at her, Hermione huffed. "You know, with Harry?"

At first, Ginny didn't make the connection but as her mind replayed the incident in question, certain details stood out. Harry heard those seventh year students long before she did. Harry pulled her up over the wall of the Astronomy tower when her own brothers couldn't really lift her anymore. The memory of early Sunday morning came to mind. When she hugged him, he flinched, like she'd hurt him. He looked horribly tired, too. He _definitely_ was Saturday morning, as she had to get Professor Lupin to wake Harry. And Harry's eyes. They'd started out as brilliant emeralds and, now that she thought about it they did seem to have a slight yellow tinge in the center. Then they had turned peridot in color as time went on. Harry and his uncle had left Saturday night. Sunday morning, when she'd seen Harry and Professor Lupin, Harry's eyes were back to their emerald shade. Then Ginny remembered something else. Saturday night, she sat in her dorm window, staring out at the moonlit grounds, wondering about her friend. It had been a full moon that night. Ginny looked up at the girl across from her.

"Are you saying that you think Harry is a-a-a _werewolf_?"

"It all fits, Ginny," Hermione said, pleading for her friend to understand. "The strength you mentioned, the fatigue, the flinching. And what about his eyes? You can't explain away that much changing."

"No," Ginny angrily responded, shaking her head. "No way. No way is Harry Potter some _vicious_ _creature_. You're wrong, Hermione. I'd appreciate it if you didn't go spouting this nonsense to others."

Ginny stormed away from her friend. Unfortunately, the seed had been planted and she couldn't stop thinking _what if?_


	5. All I Ever Wanted

"_**All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with my hands but with my heart." **__**  
**__**― **__**Tahereh Mafi**__**, **__**Shatter Me**_

The next few days, Ginny acted more subdued than Harry had ever seen her. After asking about her mood change, she laughed it off saying she was contemplating something. Harry asked her why she was ignoring Hermione and Ginny admitted to having had a disagreement with the older girl though she didn't say what about and Harry didn't push for details. Several times, Harry had caught Hermione staring at him, watching his every move with an inscrutable expression on her face. A few of those times, he'd noticed Ginny scowling at the other girl's rudeness. He couldn't help feeling a bit relieved at Ginny's support. By week's end, however, Ginny was back to normal and talking to Hermione again.

Saturday morning dawned and Harry woke early. Nerves had his stomach fluttering like he had a gut full of billywigs zooming around inside. Deciding to just get up, he quietly found clothes and headed for the showers. After tossing his dirty clothes into the hamper, he headed downstairs and found Ginny in the Common Room waiting for him.

"Are you ready for tryouts?" she asked him.

"I suppose so," Harry shrugged. "I guess we're going to find out, aren't we?"

"Oh come on, Harry. From what I saw the other day, you're a shoo in."

Harry shrugged again, his face heating at the praise. Uncomfortable talking about himself, he turned the tables on his friend.

"What about you? Are you ready to tryout?"

The smile slid from Ginny's face and anxiety took its place. Chewing on her lower lip, she looked away.

"I hope so. I don't want to look stupid up there."

"Hey," Harry softly chided. "You're not going to look stupid. You kept up with Angelina before; you'll do it again."

"Maybe."

"No maybe to it," Harry said with a smile. "I have faith in you."

That single little statement brought back the smile to Ginny's face, a happy light brightening her eyes.

"Thanks, Harry."

Harry already had Remus' broom so the pair headed down to breakfast before joining the other hopefuls at the pitch. As they ate, they discussed different strategies that would allow them to perform their best while trying out. Soon after they sat down, Hermione joined them.

"Good morning, Ginny, Harry," the girl said, nodding to each of her companions.

"You and my brother rowing again?" Ginny asked, knowingly.

"He keeps going on about that rat and how Crookshanks did something," Hermione ranted. "Honestly, there's no proof my cat did anything. And even if he did, he's a _cat_. They chase rats."

Harry didn't know what to think. One the one hand, he could see why Ginny's brother would be upset. But he could also see that, with no proof, Ron couldn't definitively say what happened. Harry, though, leaned toward Ron's side on this one. He wasn't overly comfortable with the bossy girl but she _was_ Ginny's friend so he decided to keep his opinion to himself.

"Oh, here, Harry," Hermione said and held out a silvery coin. "You dropped this the other day. I've been meaning to get it back to you and have forgotten."

Ginny's gaze flew to Hermione, eyes narrowing. She knew exactly what her friend was trying to do. After having read the information in Hermione's text about werewolves, the third year girl had, at another time, shown Ginny the bit about werewolves avoiding silver as pure silver could harm them, burning the skin depending on the silver's purity and by poisoning if the silver entered the werewolves' blood. Ginny tried to catch the girl's eye but Hermione was too focused on Harry.

Harry hesitated, staring at the coin Hermione held. After realizing the coin was a sickle, he took it. What most people didn't know was that, because sickles were pure silver, charms similar to _Impervious_ were placed on them so werewolves could handle money just like anyone else. As he took the coin, he noticed the disappointment in the girl's eyes. She hid it well but Harry was used to looking beyond the surface. Feeling a little irritated, he tossed the coin back to her.

"Sorry, it's not mine. I don't have any sickles."

Harry could feel Ginny's eyes on him and he glanced over. At first he thought he saw uncertainty in her gaze but then she smiled and the phantom emotion disappeared. His stomach starting to knot, he abandoned his sausages for something milder, eggs. As Hermione began speaking of the history behind different coins, Harry tuned the girl out.

Suddenly she pulled out a coin slightly larger than a Snitch and showed it to Ginny.

"This one is from America. This is supposed to be a depiction of Lady Liberty. It's taken from another American coin, the Walking Liberty Half Dollar, which was made between 1916 and 1947."

Flipping the coin onto its other side, she showed its eagle, wings outstretched, clutching an olive branch in one claw and some arrows in the other. On its chest was a crest with a thin horizontal line about one third of the way down. Thirteen wide vertical lines ran down from that thin line. A flowing ribbon from one wing across to the other side was held in the eagle's beak. The country's motto:,E. Pluribus Unum, was inscribed on the ribbon. Above the eagle's head, thirteen stars were arranged in a downward pointing triangle.

"And look here," Hermione pointed to the shield. "Those stripes represent the original 13 colonies, as do the stars. And this ribbon. That's America's motto. It means 'Out of many, one'. Isn't that fascinating?"

Hermione held this one out to Harry, as well, its shiny surface flashing in the light. "Here, Harry, take a look."

Harry had seen British Muggle money before, of course, but, despite himself, he was interested in seeing something from another country. He'd never been outside Britain. Of its own accord, his hand reached for the coin.

"Oh, I forgot to mention," Hermione added in a rush, her eyes on Harry particularly, "These coins are 99.9% pure silver."

Harry flinched and yanked back his hand at that information. His gaze flew to the brunette. In her eyes, he could see...something, satisfaction, maybe or triumph mixed with anxiety. There was no way Harry could touch that coin and, from the looks of it, Hermione knew it. Harry's gaze next found Ginny. Confusion was written all over her face as her eyes darted between the coin and his face. Quickly, Harry cleared his throat.

"You know, I think I'm going to head down to the pitch early," Harry said, obviously trying to smooth over the awkward moment. He ran a hand through his hair nervously and smiled sheepishly. "I'm a bit nervous about trying out."

Not meeting either girls' gaze, Harry picked up Remus' broom and left. He was certain of it, now. She knew. She knew his secret so it would only be a matter of time before Ginny knew, too. He walked to the pitch alone, broom tucked under his arm, hands in his pockets, shoulders slumped, staring at the ground. He wouldn't have a friend much longer. She'd find out his secret and want nothing to do with him, just like all the others. Sighing silently, Harry debated the wisdom of having befriended the girl in the first place.

0000000000

Hermione turned to her friend, satisfaction at being right plainly written on her face.

"He was going to take it until I told him it was almost pure silver. You saw it."

"That still doesn't prove anything, Hermione. Why can't you leave it alone?"

"He _flinched_ Ginny. He actually _flinched_ when I said the Silver Eagle is nearly 100% pure silver. One doesn't normally flinch at that kind of information unless..." Hermione allowed her voice to trail off.

Ginny, conceding that Harry's reaction didn't make much sense, still tried to discredit the older teen.

"Some people have allergic reactions to some odd things. Maybe he's allergic."

That sounded weak to her own ears but Ginny shook her head, determined. "No. I'm not believing it. There's bound to be a reasonable explanation. I'm going down to the pitch now."

"But, Ginny, add everything together and-,"

"_No_, Hermione. I'm not listening to you anymore. Just leave it alone."

Ginny left the table and headed outside, hoping not all the supposedly good school brooms had been taken already. Harry's reaction to that coin bothered her. Why did he act like he'd been burned when he'd learned the silver content of that coin? He hadn't acted like that with the Sickle. He'd actually handled the Sickle. Sickles were pure silver, too. Then he'd left kind of abruptly, not glancing at either of them. Ginny didn't _want_ to believe what Hermione was telling her but she couldn't deny that, all the little things she'd noticed, _did_ seem to fit. She'd learned the hard way that not everything was as it seemed. Unfortunately, that thought did nothing to comfort her.

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Down on the pitch, Harry paced restlessly. The billywigs were doing some impressive acrobatics in his stomach. It wasn't the tryouts that had him feeling rattled. With the tryout, he figured he'd just accept whatever happened, making the team or not. No, what had him traipsing back and forth on the same patch of earth was the fact that, at any moment, he had to face Ginny after their conversation at breakfast. He had no idea what to say or how to act. If he played it off, acted like it never happened, would she be suspicious? Or did he try to explain, without really explaining anything, and really muck it all up?

"Potter!" called an amused voice a short distance away.

Harry looked up to see the team captain, Oliver Wood, grinning at him.

"Relax, Potter! You're wearing a trench in the ground. There's only one other person trying for the Seeker position. I really don't think you have much to worry about."

Harry tried to smile but didn't get far before it faltered. He snorted. If only that _was_ what had him bothered. Hands in his pockets, he sighed deeply. This was why it was better to not have friends. He could never tell them the truth and they'd never accept that he had secrets he couldn't tell. Why, oh why, did he let Uncle Remus talk him into being friendly towards Ginny? Harry ran a hand through his hair. _This is such a gigantic mess._ He sighed again and resumed his pacing.

Familiar footsteps coming up behind him had him freezing in place, totally on alert. The 'flight' half of the 'fight or flight' response nearly won but instead, he drew a deep breath and turned to face the reason he was in such a state. The first thing he noticed was that she was watching him closely, her head tilted slightly to one side, as if trying to decide something. Then she smiled somewhat nervously.

"Hi, Harry."

"Hey."

Ginny stared at her feet. "Look, I just wanted to apologize for Hermione. I know you don't care for her. She's got this crazy notion in her head and she won't leave it alone."

"You don't have to apologize, Ginny." _I'm the one who should._

"I feel like I do. She _is_ my friend, after all and I've said she isn't all that bad." Ginny shrugged. "Can you believe she actually thinks you're a-," she lowered her voice before whispering, "-werewolf? Crazy, huh?"

Ginny laughed but both could tell it was forced. Harry didn't even bother. He gulped and looked around to make sure no one else was listening. Pulling Ginny aside to a slightly less congested area, he asked his next question with as much a casual air as he could muster.

"What makes her think that?"

Ginny suddenly looked very uneasy. "Well," she drew out the word nervously and glanced everywhere but at Harry. "I sort of told her what happened that day at the top of the Astronomy tower, you know, my fall and everything."

Ginny saw his lips thin in anger and she rushed on. "I know I said I wouldn't but you were asleep on the couch and she asked why. I had to tell her _something_."

Sighing, Harry ran a hand through his already mussed hair. "Fine, whatever."

"Besides, she's noticed how your eyes change, too. It's a sign, she says."

Harry's gaze flew back to hers and she noticed the color was already gaining a more yellowish hue. She could also see the unease, the fear of something. Then his countenance changed and he smiled, though to her it seemed forced.

"Well, I guess she can think what she likes, right?"

"Yes, she can." She hesitated and then plunged on. "What was with your reaction to that silver coin Hermione had? You jumped back so fast I thought you were going to fall off the bench."

The smile slipped right off Harry's face and his entire expression closed up. Before he could say anything, Oliver joined them.

"There you are, Ginny. I'm getting ready to test all the Chaser candidates. Are you still wanting to tryout?"

A look of relief crossed Harry's features in a flash before they were schooled into neutrality. She stared a long moment to let him know she wasn't quite finished with their conversation before turning to the Quidditch captain.

"Yes, I am. Lead the way."

Over his shoulder, Oliver threw out, "Harry, Seekers are next so get ready."

Harry suddenly regretted begging Remus not to come to tryouts. He could use his uncle's calm reassurance right now. Not to mention the fact that Remus needed to know that Hermione had figured it all out. He, Harry, wasn't guessing anymore. He had proof. Well, there wasn't anything he could do about it now. He just had to get through the tryouts and then he could go see his uncle.

He watched Ginny fly and marveled, again, at how good she was. She had natural talent. He watched her hang back for a certain passing maneuver or swap positions with one of the others seamlessly as they made their run for the goals. Harry couldn't imagine anyone being any better. He hoped Oliver felt the same. Then her turn was over and it was his.

He and the other Seeker candidate, a fourth year, joined the rest of the team in the air.

"Okay, this is how it's going to go," Oliver instructed. "I have only one Snitch so you'll have to take turns. First, I want to see how quickly you can spot and recover the Snitch."

He looked at Harry and pointed to the goal hoops. "Wait over there."

Harry waited as the fourth year attempted to catch the Snitch. She was okay, he supposed, but it took her a long time before she'd even seen it and took even longer for her to catch it. Many times, he'd wanted to shout out to her where the little ball had flown to. After she finally caught it, Oliver released it again to give her another shot to improve her time. It didn't really help. The next time, the twins were let loose with the bludger to see how quick her decision-making was. Again, not great but not bad either. Same for the her second attempt. The last two chances had all the players on the pitch to see how easily distracted the girl could be. Neither time was spectacular.

Then it was finally Harry's turn. The first time Oliver let loose the ball, Harry found it easily and shot off to grab it. It only took a third of the time it had taken the girl. Harry's second turn was even faster. The two bludger runs didn't affect Harry a bit. He stayed focused on his glittering target, flying instinctively out of each bludger's way. Having all the players on the pitch slowed him only slightly. By the time his turn was over, it was obvious to everyone he was better.

After Oliver made the announcements as to who had made the team, everyone left the pitch with Oliver promising practices would be starting soon.

"Can you believe it? We both made it! Although, granted, I'm just a fill-in, but still..."

Ginny hopped around doing an excited dance. Harry couldn't help but laugh at her antics. He'd been dreading talking to her again after tryouts but perhaps he'd worried needlessly. She grabbed his arm and started hauling back toward the castle.

"Come on, I need to send a letter to Mum!"

Harry laughed and allowed himself to be pulled along. It sure beat the alternative, what he was sure was coming. Back at the castle he split from her saying he needed to return his uncle's broom. After agreeing to meet back up later, Ginny finished the trek up to Gryffindor tower alone while Harry veered off for Remus' quarters.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" sneered a most unwelcome voice. "Potter's actually alone? Don't have your little girlfriend? Honestly, even _you _could have done better."

Harry turned to face the blonde Slytherin and his oversized gorilla goons. "What do you want, Malfoy?"

"Why would I want anything from _you_? Heard you made the Quidditch team. Must be that undeserved fame working for you."

Clamping his jaw shut against the retort he wanted to make, Harry stood and waited for the real reason Draco had stopped him.

"You don't deny it, Potter? Wow, imagine that. And here I thought you were so righteous, being a hero and all."

While his goons laughed, Draco stepped up to Harry and leaned in close. "We both know what kind of hero you _really_ are, don't we?"

"Don't know what you mean, Draco," Harry's tight voice belied his words.

"I think you do. In fact, I _know_ you do. Just know, Potter, that the next full moon, someone will be watching and waiting for the perfect moment to expose you for what you are."

Draco wrinkled his nose in distaste as he said that last. Then he laughed in Harry's pale face and walked off, his two silent goons following, throwing smirking glances over their shoulders in Harry's direction.

Harry watched them go until they'd completely disappeared then ran the remaining distance to Remus' rooms. Once there, he knocked twice before opening the door.

"Uncle Remus! I brought your broom back!"

Remus came out from one of the back rooms, his eyebrows raised in silent question.

"I made the team but-"

"That's wonderful, Harry," Remus interrupted. "We'll need to get you a broom. It wouldn't do to have you using that old thing."

Remus took the old broom and perched it in a corner in the sitting room. Seeing the disquiet in his nephew's expression, he entered his kitchen, grabbed a couple butterbeers and had Harry sit down.

"What's wrong, Harry? I'd have thought you'd be happy."

"It's not that. I just had a run-in with Malfoy. First he spouted his typical stuff, my fame getting me on the team and when I didn't reply he said he'd thought I was a righteous hero, real sarcastic like and then got up in my face and said that he knew what kind of hero I _really _am. He said during the next full moon, someone would be watching and waiting to expose our secret."

Remus leaned back against the sofa in thought. After a minute, he said, "I still think he's trying to rattle you _but_ I'll talk to Dumbledore and see if we can get some extra wards put into place or something."

"That's not all."

"Oh?" Remus asked.

"Remember what I told you before about Hermione Granger and how I think she's put things together and figured us out?" At Remus' nod, Harry continued. "Well, at breakfast, she tried to give me a Sickle, made some story about having seen me drop it. Well, you know I don't have any, just a couple galleons right now. When I took the Sickle from her, I caught a flash of something in her eyes. It was disappointment. Then she started in on how interesting the history of coins was and she pulled out this American coin, told us a little about it and tried to hand it to me. She waited until I started to take it from her to tell me it was almost pure silver. I couldn't help but jerk back. She looked so smug after that, as if I'd just confirmed her suspicions. I left after that to go down to the pitch."

Remus didn't know what to say to this revelation. He'd hoped the Granger girl would have left things alone. He'd been having her do more advanced and extra credit work in an attempt to keep her mind off Harry. He didn't think the girl would be malicious with the information she had but Remus couldn't be certain.

"Well...I don't know what to say, really," the Defense professor confessed. "I'll try to find out exactly what Miss Granger knows. You may consider telling her the truth."

"NO!" Harry jumped off the sofa. "That girl is irritating. I'm not confirming anything to her just so she can spread it around and I'm surprised you're even suggesting it."

"Calm down, Harry. I'm merely saying that, as brilliant as she seems to be, she may continue to hound you until she knows the truth. I honestly don't think she'd say anything to anyone. She's in Gryffindor for a reason. Gossiping like that is more a Slytherin trait, don't you think?"

"Well, maybe." Harry groaned and collapsed back onto the couch. "I don't know, Uncle Remus. What do I do? This is all your fault, you know. If you hadn't insisted on me being friendly with anyone, we wouldn't even be having this conversation."

"Oh, I beg to differ on that, Pup. Miss Granger is a very smart witch. I believe she'd have figured us out regardless. Speaking of being friendly, how is Miss Weasley?"

Harry groaned again and dropped his head into his hands, elbows resting on his knees. "I don't know what to think. The way she looked at me after I jumped back away from that bloody coin and then the talk we had before tryouts. It felt like she was trying to convince herself that nothing was wrong and not succeeding. But then, after tryouts, she acted like nothing had even happened."

"She's probably confused and doesn't know what to believe. It's likely that she's trying to reconcile what she knows about you, your personality, with what she's been told about werewolves. Then again, maybe she's decided she doesn't care. You'll only know for sure if you talk to her about it."

Harry sighed. "You're a lot of help," he grumbled.

Remus chuckled. "Finish your butterbeer, Harry. I'm sure Miss Weasley is wondering what's keeping you. You need to bring her by sometime. I'd love to talk to her outside of the classroom."

"Maybe I will," Harry replied, distractedly.

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That talk with Ginny came sooner than Remus expected. Monday, after a quick lunch and excuse of needing to ask something about the Defense homework, Ginny hurried off to class. Getting there early, she hung around until Professor Lupin showed up.

"Miss Weasley, you're here rather early. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes, there is," Ginny replied anxiously.

Nodding, Remus smiled reassuringly, opened the door and followed the young girl inside, taking a moment to spell the entrance so no one could eavesdrop. He gestured for the girl to sit and then sat across from her.

"What can I help you with?"

"It's Harry. I think he's hiding something from me."

The smile melted from Remus' face and he looked away from her earnest expression. He sighed. He didn't like dodging the question but it wasn't his place to answer.

"I'm sure Harry's probably hiding a lot of things, Miss Weasley. Listen, Harry's upbringing was very...lonesome, at times. We traveled a lot so he's learned not to get close to many people. I know that's not the answer you were looking for but it's all I can give you. Anything else you'll need to ask Harry for. I'm sorry."

Ginny sighed. She really hadn't thought the professor would tell her anything but she'd hoped. It all came back to Harry. What did she know? What did she believe? How important was knowing the truth? It was all so very confusing and she didn't know what to think. She tried putting it out of her mind in order to focus on class but several times her mind drifted back to the doubts she was beginning to have about her friend.

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Wednesday night, in the common room, Harry and Ginny sat at one of tables, books, parchment, ink and quills scattered across its surface as they worked on their homework. Harry was trying to complete a particularly nasty essay Professor Snape had assigned him when Harry's cauldron had exploded during class. It had been his own fault as he'd been distracted over this thing with Hermione, Ginny's quiet manner and Malfoy. As usual, he'd left it until the last minute, much to Hermione's displeasure. At least Ginny hadn't launched into a lecture. She'd merely arched an eyebrow at him.

He glanced over at his companion. Her History of Magic text was out but it didn't seem like she had gotten much done. She sat, fiddling with her quill, a faraway expression on her face. Not sure if he should bother her, he continued to watch her. Once, she looked up and opened her mouth to ask him something then slammed it shut again and looked off in the distance. He had a feeling what was on her mind but he wasn't about to just tell her anything outright. He wasn't even sure he was going to tell her _anything_.

Finally, after several false starts, Ginny managed in a fierce whisper, "Is Hermione right? I mean, she showed me what to look for and I have to say, Harry, that the evidence is damning."

Those two words. Evidence and damning. She may as well have spit on him. He heard accusation in those words. With accusation came hate. His hackles rose in anger and he lashed out.

"Oh, so, you're taking her word, now? You've decided to believe her? You're going to sit there and accuse me of something with only the most circumstantial of evidence? You have no right to pass judgment on me. You don't know anything about me."

Harry laughed derisively. "I should have known. You're just like all the others. You get a little bit of information and you start accusing me of something."

"Harry, I-," Ginny tried to say.

"Just forget it." Harry gathered his school stuff and crammed it all into his bag. "You and I being friends was obviously a mistake. Don't bother me anymore."

Every muscle in his body tense, he marched up the stairs that led to his dorm. Throwing open the door, he slung his bag onto his bed and paced. He'd known better. He really had. He'd thought she was different. She knew what it was like to be ostracized amongst your peers. Apparently he'd been wrong. He'd been willing to put aside his misgivings and look where it got him. Harry shoved his bag to the floor and flopped onto his bed. He'd known their friendship was doomed from the beginning. It was better it ended now before he'd totally become attached to her. He sat there with the bed hangings pulled shut, wallowing, ignoring everyone else.

As his anger waned, betrayal and it's good friend pain took its place. It was worse than anything he'd ever felt before. He'd actually allowed someone in, got close, and it hurt so badly to discover he'd been wrong to do so. He wanted to howl, despondent, but instead silently allowed his tears to flow unchecked. Huddled on his bed, knees against his chest, arms wrapped protectively around himself, he cried for the loss of friendship, for being naïve and thinking this time would be different. A long time later, Harry fell into a listless sleep.

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For the following week, Harry avoided Ginny. He made sure to get up extra early, run down to breakfast, eat and disappear until class time. On the weekend, he spent his time walking the grounds or hiding out with Remus. After the man's fifth attempt to get Harry to talk to Ginny, Harry snapped at Remus, yelled at him to mind his own business. Remus stayed silent after that.

Helplessly, he watched as Harry started to become depressed. He'd been notified of Harry's dropping grades and lack of attention during class. For the first time in a long time, he questioned his own motives. Why had he really brought Harry here? Why had he insisted Harry try to make friends? He'd thought he'd done it for Harry's sake but had he? Or was it really to make himself feel better about how he had been raising his best friend's son? For the first time in a long time, he felt despair, like he'd let James down and really had no idea what to do.

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"_Harry James Potter, don't you dare walk away from me!"_

Harry had caught sight of Ginny while on his walk of the grounds and tried to disappear before she saw him. Unfortunately, he'd not succeeded. He heard her running footsteps as she caught up to him. When she caught up to him, she grabbed his arm and spun him around to face her. Her face was red, her breath rushed in and out and her eyes flashed angrily. Her hands rested on her hips.

"You got to have your say, now I'm finally going to have mine. How dare you? You throw all that at me and then walk away? Then you ignore me, as if we'd never been friends? _Were_ we ever friends, Harry? Because that's not how you treat your friends. All I did was ask a simple question. You can't blame me for wondering. You keep stuff from me. You never tell me anything, what am I supposed to think?"

By this time, angry tears filled her eyes but she kept going. "You were _my_ friend, Harry, whether or not I was yours. I thought we had fun together; you certainly seemed to. Are you _really_ that good an actor? I'm sorry, okay? I'll never ask that of you again, I swear."

Harry, feeling really horrible now, stuffed his hands in his pockets, stared at the ground and mumbled, "You don't understand."

"Then help me to!" Ginny cried, exasperated. "Talk to me!"

"I can't," Harry whispered, his voice breaking.

"No, you won't is more like," Ginny shot back. After a few seconds she threw her hands up in the air.

"Fine. Be that way. But you know what? You're headed for a lonely existence. I never would have guessed the Boy-Who-Lived was such a coward. How you got into Gryffindor is beyond me."

With that, Ginny turned on her heel and stalked off.

"I already have a lonely existence," Harry whispered as he watched the only real friend he'd had walk out of his life.


	6. Come and Ease the Pain

_**A whole life so lonely  
And then you come and ease the pain  
I don't want to lose this feeling**_

Something had to change and soon. But what? What could he possibly do to make Harry better? This was one of those times he wished Sirius was around. He supposed he could go to Albus but that didn't feel right. To make it worse, it was closing in on the full moon, the period of time, as usual, that enhanced Harry's emotions. He could force them into the same room but that would likely just make Harry clam up even more.

Then it hit him. The Wolfsbane Potion rendered werewolves completely harmless to humans when taken religiously during the week leading up to the full moon so it wasn't as if anyone was in any real danger. He couldn't believe he was going to reveal their secret. He wouldn't inform Albus of what he was doing. No doubt the man would argue if he did, but this was the only way he could think of to get Harry back on track, to care. When he had the free time, he pulled Ginny out of class to talk.

"Miss Weasley, I apologize for interrupting your class time, but I wanted to talk to you. About Harry."

Her puzzled expression morphed into one of stubbornness before melting into worry. "I'm sorry, Professor. I didn't mean to upset Harry. Honestly I didn't. I stupidly asked him about some things and he took it all wrong. He got so mad and is now avoiding me. I did catch him at one point and had my say but he hasn't spoken to me since and I'm worried. He doesn't look so good."

"I know you had no intention of hurting him. In fact, it's mostly my fault."

He motioned for her to follow him and she did so. He led her out of the castle and down to the Whomping Willow. Before he immobilized the now wildly swinging branches, he returned his attention to his companion.

"Do you trust me, Miss Weasley?" She narrowed her eyes at him, trying to figure out why he was asking, before eventually nodding. "Good. Now, can I trust you?"

"Of course, Professor. What's going on?"

"We need a private place to talk is all. The castle tends to have too many ears, if you know what I mean."

"With all the portraits around, yes."

"Not just the portraits. What I'm about to show you is strictly confidential. It is absolutely imperative you not breathe a word to anyone. Not to your friends, not even to your family. Am I clear? Can you do that?"

Determination filled her eyes and she stood a bit straighter. "Yes, sir. I certainly can."

Remus smiled. "Alright, then."

He glanced around to make sure they were alone. With a well-placed rock to a knot at the base of the tree trunk, the branches stilled.

"Come. That little trick won't last long."

Ginny gasped as she got close enough to see the stairs leading from a hole in the ground amongst the tree's roots. Lupin descended the stairs and Ginny started to follow. Very curious as to what they were to discuss to need this level of secrecy, she made a note of the specific knot's location on the tree was as there was more than one knot. Maybe she could do some exploring some time.

Once down the stairs, Lupin began walking, his wand lighting the dark tunnel.

"Professor-"

"Not yet, Miss Weasley. Let's be comfortable before we talk. Or at least a little more comfortable than we are at present. Light your wand. The more light the better."

She did as she was told and they walked for several minutes before coming to another set of stairs. The man climbed the stairs and reached above him. With a little push, a section opened upward. He climbed the remaining stairs, up through the hole and crouched to hold out a hand to help her up and out of the tunnel.

Looking around, she discovered they stood in a room with old, ratty furniture. Tattered curtains covered openings that no longer held window glass. Paw prints marred the thick dust on the floor. Cobwebs hung from every corner.

"Where are we?"

"We are now in Hogsmeade."

"What?"

"That tunnel," Remus said, pointing at the trapdoor, "links Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. It's one of a few tunnels that do, though no one knows of this one. And no one _can _know of this one."

"I understand," she quickly replied.

Remus conjured a pair of cushiony chairs and motioned for her to take one. "Now. I know you have questions. I can't answer them. I can, however, give you a little background on Harry's childhood. It hasn't been easy for him. It's been just the two of us a good portion of his life. I took Harry in after what happened to his parents. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I have a hard time keeping a job and so we had to move—a lot. Harry learned at an early age not to get emotionally involved with others because of it. He's been betrayed by many who called themselves friends. That's why he reacted so badly to your comment. You'd managed to get past the wall he'd built around himself and made him care, made him _want _friends. Then your unfortunate choice of words sounded like an accusation to him and he got hurt." She opened her mouth but he held up a hand for silence. "I know you didn't mean it as such. That's just how he took it. I pushed him to be friendly with you in the first place. That's why I'm the one to blame for the predicament we find ourselves in. How do we help Harry?"

"I don't know. I want to tell him how sorry I am but he won't let me near him."

"Perhaps if you were to...meet...in the same place. Unknowingly on his part, of course."

"Maybe," Ginny said, hesitantly. "I don't want him to resent me though and I have a feeling he would if he thought he'd been tricked into something."

"Hmmm. Good point." He said. _She's just as bright as I thought she was. Hopefully, she'll take all this in and do what I'm hoping she'll do._

"I'd like to figure something out soon. I don't know how much longer he'll last. He and I have a thing again tomorrow night so we'll be leaving after supper."

Remus almost smiled at the curiosity in her eyes that statement created. Good. It looked as if his plan will work and Harry will have a friend again. He looked at his watch.

"We should get back. Again, please do not tell anyone what I've shown you or told you."

"I won't. You can be sure of that. I'll be thinking of a way to talk to Harry. If I come up with something, I'll let you know."

"Alright."

"One thing I don't understand, Professor."

"What's that?"

"Why did we have to come all the way out here to talk?"

Remus had wondered if she'd ask that. She was sharp and that was a good thing. "Because if our discussion had been overheard, people might decide to pity Harry and he would not want that."

"Oh."

Ginny stared up at her professor. Something about that explanation didn't quite ring true. Not knowing what else to do, she returned to the opening in the floor and descended the stairs, unaware of her professor's triumphant smile.

0000000000

"Harry, you really should talk to Miss Weasley."

"Not this again," Harry groaned. The pair were in the Shrieking Shack awaiting the unavoidable torture to come. "I've told you. I tried to be friendly. It didn't work. End of story."

Soft footfalls sounded from below them. Harry tensed, wand drawn but lowered, standing a little behind Remus, waiting to see what or who was coming. The wooden stairs creaked and then the hatch was opening. Up popped a black-haired head. The man climbed his way out of the tunnel and smiled at Remus.

"Hello, Moony. Long time, no see."

"Sirius?" Remus, stunned as he was, could barely speak. "What are you doing here?" Then his temper kicked in. "Where in Merlin's name have you been?"

"I know, Remus. I'm sorry. When I heard what had happened to James and Lily, I lost it. I couldn't deal with it. I took off for parts unknown. I got my act together and tried to find Harry but I couldn't. Albus wouldn't tell me anything. I guess he thought I was at fault for James and Lily being found. In a way, I guess I was since I convinced them to switch Secret-Keepers. I wish I had known Peter had turned traitor. I really do."

"Sirius?" Harry asked from behind Remus, having up until now gone unnoticed.

Sirius looked around Remus and saw..._Harry_? Fury swept through Sirius faster than a flash flood. He turned back to his friend.

"What in the bloody hell is Harry doing here? It's not safe for him! What are you thinking? Have you finally lost your mind?"

"Sirius-"

"I can't believe you, Remus. You've always feared infecting others. What the bloody hell do you think is going to happen when you change?"

"Sirius-" Remus tried again.

"No! No excuses. There's still time, isn't there? Harry get out of here while you can."

"_Sirius!_" Glad to have finally gained the man's attention, Remus stepped away from Harry and waved his old friend closer. "Take a good look and tell me what you see."

Sirius stayed put, crossing his arms over his chest. It was dim but he could see enough. "He looks like James, remarkably like James. So what?"

"Get over here and take a good look," Remus demanded.

The tone Remus used was so authoritative, Sirius instantly complied. His friend could be downright scary sometimes. Within a few feet of Harry, his steps faltered. _No. Oh, no. It couldn't be. Please tell me his eyes aren't yellow._ The boy before him displayed all the pre-transformation signs: sweating, tremors, and, of course, the eyes. Signs Sirius was all too familiar with. _Ah, Harry, no._ Reaching his godson, he cupped the boy's face in his hands and looked into his lupine eyes. He could feel the tremors running through Harry. Sirius lowered his head to Harry's.

"Awww, Harry. I'm so sorry. Your life wasn't supposed to be like this."

"It could be worse."

"I'm not sure how-"

Harry suddenly hissed in pain and doubled over. Panting, he tore himself away from Sirius and stumbled through the doorway to the room he used when transforming, closing the squeaky door most of the way. Loud gasps, groans and painful cries came right through the bare walls.

"It's always more painful when you're young," Remus said, beginning to pant a little himself. Being older, he could hold off the change a little longer. "And Sirius, I would never have endangered him for he was never in danger in the first place. I can't believe you haven't heard of the Wolfsbane Potion." Remus winced at a particularly painful twinge. "When taken regularly, it lets us keep our human minds. We're no worse than a normal wolf or a very independent housepet."

Remus groaned. "I can't hold back any longer."

As his old friend began to shift forms, Sirius changed into his animagus form of a big shaggy black dog and lay next Remus, the agonized cries from the other room combined with Remus' pained gasps and groans echoing in his heart. Hearing the human-turned canine cry of pain from the other room tore at him and his human mind cried for the torture his friend and godson had to endure every month. He was totally unaware they had an audience.

0000000000

Ginny slipped under the stilled tree. She hadn't told anyone what she was doing. She did have the foresight to borrow the twins' magical map of Hogwarts they'd nicked and stuffed it into her back pocket. She'd followed Professor Lupin and Harry long enough to see that they were heading for the secret passage under the tree. She was certain the professor had seen her a few times, but he never said a word. In fact, it almost looked as if he smiled a bit. Maybe he'd come up with a plan to get Harry to talk to her. She'd been all set to follow when she suddenly had to go to the loo. Hurriedly, she ran back to the Entrance Hall and took care of that matter. Now, here she was heading down a dark tunnel with her wand lit but shielded in the hopes of masking her presence at least a little.

As she neared the stairs at the other end of the tunnel, she heard voices. Two she recognized as Professor Remus and Harry. The other person, who was now yelling angrily, was unknown.

"_What in the bloody hell is Harry doing here? It's not safe for him! What are you thinking? Have you finally lost your mind?"_

"_Sirius-"_

"_I can't believe you, Remus. You've always feared infecting others. What the bloody hell do you think is going to happen when you change?"_

Infecting others? What did the man mean by that?

"_Sirius-"_

"_No! No excuses. There's still time, isn't there? Harry get out of here while you can."_

"_**Sirius**__!_" Soft footsteps moved to the side. _"Take a good look and tell me what you see."_

"_He looks like James, remarkably like James. So what?"_

"_Get over here and take a good look._"

Heavier footsteps this time moved away from the open trapdoor. Silence. Something was said but it was too soft for her to hear so she climbed the stairs until she was just out of sight. Another voice murmured something. Then there was a sound, like someone in pain, and stumbling footsteps. Something creaked. What Ginny heard next sent chills through her. The harrowing screams brought tears to her eyes. She covered her mouth to stifle her sobs. For some strange reason, she thought it sounded like Harry. But why was he in pain and why wasn't anyone helping him?

"_It's always more painful when you're young." _Labored breathing. _"And Sirius, I would never have endangered him for he was never in danger in the first place. I can't believe you haven't heard of the Wolfsbane Potion." _

Wolfsbane Potion? But that was for... Everything fell into place even as her professor continued speaking.

"_When taken regularly, it lets us keep our human minds. We're no worse than a normal wolf or very independent housepet."_

Hermione had been right all along. The famous Harry Potter was a werewolf. Her favorite teacher was a werewolf. Harry _had _been hiding something from her, but she could certainly understand why, especially considering how ostracized he had been. A final half-human, half-canine cry of pain had her breaking down completely, unable to stifle the noise. _Oh, Harry. How awful it must be to endure that every month. How did he do it?_

She looked up and through her tears she saw two heads staring down at her, one belonging to a shaggy black dog and the other to a gray wolf. Ginny remained in place, tears still tracking down her cheeks. The wolf lowered its head and gently took the sleeve of her robe into its mouth and gave a slight tug. Apparently it wanted her to come on into the room.

She'd just finished climbing into the room when the door across the room opened and a smallish black wolf came out, legs still wobbling. It saw her and froze. Its legs buckled and it hit the floor with a pained groan. Going on pure instinct, Ginny rushed to the wolf's side and sat on the floor.

"Harry? It's you, isn't it?" She really didn't need to ask. She knew. He looked up at her with those haunting tawny eyes. "I'm sorry, Harry. I'm sorry I said what I did. Just know that no one will ever know about this. I swear it. Hermione suspects but I won't confirm anything for her."

A couple moments went by before he propped his head on her outstretched leg. She could have laughed aloud in relief. It seems he'd forgiven her. The gray wolf that was her Defense professor came over and also lay his head on her leg. The black dog didn't move until Harry got up and padded over to him and, to Ginny's delight, playfully attacked the canine.

The two rolled around the floor a few minutes before the gray wolf trotted to the trapdoor and disappeared down the stairs. The other two quickly followed. Ginny stayed put, not knowing what to do now. A gentle nudge drew her out of her musings. Harry had come back and taken her sleeve to lead her to the stairs.

With quick swipes, she took care of her tears. "Alright, Harry, I get it. You want me to follow you."

Back out of the tunnel and out from under the tree, two of the animals raced toward the Forbidden Forest. Harry remained by Ginny's side.

"You don't have to stay with me, you know. Go have fun with them."

Harry sat and stared at her, making Ginny laugh. If he could have had an expression, she was certain it would have been one of a sarcastic "yeah right." He picked up a stick and trotted over to her.

"Seriously?" she asked, looking doubtful. "You actually want me to throw it?" His eyes remained glued to the stick and she giggled. "Alright then. Here!"

She threw the stick a fair distance and watched him give chase. She found herself envying his superior eyesight. After a toss or two, he came back to her and nudged her hand. Kneeling, Ginny awkwardly ran a hand through his fur. He seemed to like it so she continued to do so, blushing madly. She couldn't help thinking she was actually petting her friend. Suddenly, Harry tensed and looked off to their right, ears twitching. He growled deep in his throat, his hackles rising, his ears flattening against his head.

"What's wrong?"

Motion caught her eye and she turned in that direction and gasped. Another wolf, this one gray with shades of a rusty brown, approached them, one step at a time. It's hackles were raised and it growled menacingly. Harry stepped in front and off to the side of Ginny, taking a several steps in the other wolf's direction, in an attempt to keep the other wolf's attention on him instead of her.

It suddenly attacked him, but Harry was quick enough to get out of the way. It turned and Ginny realized just how close the beast had managed to get to her. Snarling, it jumped at her. Harry's black form was there and intercepted the charge. The two wolves viciously fought, biting and scratching. Outweighed as Harry was, the fight didn't last long. Just as the gray wolf turned back to her, her professor and that man, Sirius, now in dog form, took up the fight.

She could only stand by helplessly as the two fought valiantly against the newcomer. A nudge at her leg drew her attention. Harry was trying to get her to leave. He looked awful with bleeding scratches and bite marks all over him. He nudged her again, more insistently, before checking on the progress of the fight behind him.

"I'll go if you do." He looked up at her and gave her a distressed whine. "No, don't give me that. You're no match for it. You could get yourself seriously hurt. You stay, I stay. I might be able to do _something._"

The wolf before her sighed and hung his head before carfully taking her sleeve into his mouth and pulling her toward the castle. Once inside the courtyard, he let her go, and sat facing the way they had come. Ginny settled in beside him. She wasn't going anywhere until she knew the others were okay. It took several minutes but the two finally limped into view. Harry was up instantly and rushed over checking for serious injury. Ginny gave them a few minutes before heading over.

"Are you okay?" Neither looked good. Like Harry, they were scratched, bitten, bloodied, just to a larger degree. "Do you need me to get Madame Pomfrey?" The two bigger animals shook their heads in the negative. "Alright, well, let's get you back to where you need to be."

She started to leave the courtyard but Professor Lupin blocked her path. He stared at her and then behind her. He did this a few times before she got the message. Her hands flew to her hips.

"I don't think so. Not until I know you've gotten where you need to go and there's really nothing you can do to make me stay." Her stubborn expression turned to a smirk and loftily said, "You're certainly not going to hurt me so I'd say you have no leverage in this argument."

Lupin exhaled noisily and moved away. The other two followed. Back at the tree, Ginny immobilized it for them. All three animals limped their way back to Hogsmeade. Finally back and up the stairs, the wolves and the dog collapsed and didn't bother to try to move again. Ginny settled onto the floor between Harry and Lupin. She tried to stifle a yawn. She knew it had to be late but she didn't think she had the energy to go back now. Propping an elbow on her leg, she rested her head in her hand and yawned again.

One of the animals, Harry she thought, whined a little. She was so tired she wasn't sure which it had really been.

"I'm too tired now. Let me sleep a little and then I'll go back."

Apparently the others were too tired to argue and that's where Ginny spent most of the night. At one point, barely awake, she removed her robe, scrunched it into a ball and placed it under her head so she could sleep better. But now she had another problem. The late October air was chilled and she gave a little shiver.

Seemingly sensing her dilemma, Harry, still asleep, scooted close to her until they were touching. The dense, coarse fur provided instant warmth where it contacted with her skin. A little more comfortable, she drifted back to sleep.

0000000000

A pained whimper and spastic jerk woke Ginny. Wincing slightly from lying on the hard floor, she sat up and saw the door to the other room closing. Oh, it was starting again. She steeled herself for the terrible screams she knew were coming.

"It's never easy to hear."

Ginny turned to the stranger she'd heard last night. The whimpers in the other room had begun, gaining in volume, becoming yelps. Despite her determination to not cry, tears pooled and spilled down her cheeks. Each sound she heard was like a knife to her heart. The stranger came over and enfolded her in his embrace, tucking her head against his chest and under his chin. A closer whimper caught her attention and she tried to turn in that direction but the man wouldn't let her.

"Don't watch. For one, it's a very private thing. And two, there's a reason there's a pile of clothes beside him."

Her eyes widened at that. She hadn't even noticed the clothes. She blushed at what it meant and buried her face against the man's chest, squeezing her eyes shut, practically flinching with each painful sound. Quietly, she let the tears flow. A long yowl converted to a human scream and then there was silence from the other room. Closer to her, she could still hear some groans and whimpers. Minutes later, a final human cry and it was quiet except for the labored breathing.

A few moments later, the rustling of clothing being donned reached her ears. A hoarse voice spoke.

"You can look now. I'm going to check on Harry. He should have been out by now."

She looked up as her professor slipped through the door. Soft murmurs sounded and then movement. After what seemed an etermity, the door opened and Harry, with Remus' hand on his shoulder, stepped out.

0000000000

He didn't want to go out there. The screams he couldn't hold back as he changed embarrassed him. She hadn't turned away from him last night and she had to have heard him then, too, so why was he so embarrassed now? It was silly but he couldn't force himself to step beyond the door. How had she even found this place? It wasn't on your standard list of places to explore.

Harry looked up as Remus entered. He had fresh scratches on his cheek. He looked at Harry, concern filling his eyes.

"Are you okay, Harry?"

"I'm fine." Harry looked to the closed door. "I can't go out there."

"Why not?"

"Because," Harry said as if the reason should have been obvious. "How did she even find the tunnel?"

Remus took a deep breath and made his confession. "I showed her yesterday."

"What?"

"I showed her yesterday. Look, Harry, you were so upset over your argument with her and you weren't doing so well. I needed to find a way to get you back so I brought her here under the pretense of talking about you. I let slip that you and I would be coming back here tonight and hoped she'd be concerned enough to come out. Now she knows the truth and you know what? She's still here. She didn't leave after hearing what she heard last night. She wasn't scared off. Sounds to me like she's the perfect friend."

"But her knowing. Is that wise?"

"Is it wise to go through life keeping yourself shut away from the pleasures life can bring?" Remus countered.

"You're one to talk."

"But I have Sirius back. Next to your father, he's the best friend I've ever had. You should experience that kind of friendship and I believe you can with that girl out there."

"What about the prophecy? I'm still keeping secrets form her."

"What do _you_ think, Harry?"

After a moment, Remus stood and held out a hand. Harry ignored him. Was his uncle right? Could he have that level of friendship with Ginny? It seemed impossible but Uncle Remus was right about one thing. Ginny never left. She'd played with him while the other two were out running. She'd even refused to go back to the castle without him when that other wolf had come along despite the danger to herself. And, she'd stayed with him until the others had returned. Ginny Weasley was different from the other people he'd known. Perhaps he should take the chance. Harry glanced up and took the proffered hand.

At the door, he took a huge breath. He felt Remus' hand on his shoulder and it helped. He opened the door and faced Ginny. Immediately, she stood, maintaining eye contact, and walked over to him. Remus nudged past him and started talking to Sirius. Harry ignored them, completely focused on Ginny. Her reddened eyes flew around his face, no doubt taking in the new scrapes and scratches he'd gotten. Her amber gaze returned to his now emerald green eyes.

"Hey," she said a little uncertaintly.

"Hey." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "And now you know."

"I'm sorry, Harry. I didn't mean to push. Have all the secrets you want. I'd just like to have my friend back."

Her sincerity was what convinced him to take the chance. "I'd like that, too."

She beamed and then hugged him but jumped back when he flinched. "Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry."

Harry shrugged, albeit a little painfully. "It's okay. I'm always sore after."

Ginny nodded sympathetically. "I'm not surprised."

The reference to her having heard him made his cheeks burn and he had a hard time meeting her gaze.

"Harry, don't be ashamed of something you can't control. I can't even begin to imagine the amount of pain you suffer every month. I don't know how you stay sane, to be honest. And I don't mean with the potion, either."

A little smile played with a corner of his mouth. He knew what she meant. He briefly met her gaze.

"I've gotten used to it. You either accept it or you don't. If you do, you find a way to keep going. If you don't accept it, well, suicide is high among werewolves." Horrified, Ginny gasped. "I have another reason to keep going. One that you should know, but right now, I'm just too tired to go into it."

He swayed a little and Ginny automatically steadied him. He reached up rubbed his eyes. His head was beginning to ache.

"Come on," Remus called out to them. "We need to get back and you, Miss Weasley, need to get back to your dorm. I have no clue how you're going to do that without getting caught."

Ginny smiled and reached into her back pocket. Pulling out the old parchment, she said, "Don't worry, I have my ways."

Remus and Sirius exchanged astonished looks. "Is that...? Is that a map of Hogwarts, by any chance?"

It was Ginny's turn to look astonished. "How did you know?"

Sirius began to laugh. Remus chuckled as he said, "Because Sirius, Harry's father, another friend, and myself made it back when we attended school."

"Really?"

Remus nodded. "May I?" He pointed to it. Ginny willingly handed it over. "I haven't seen this since it was confiscated by Filch." He activated the magical map, quickly glanced it over and deactivated it. "How did you come by it?"

"My brothers, Fred and George, did, actually. They got caught doing something their first year and were waiting in Filch's office for their punishment. Filch left for some reason and they saw this sticking out of a file cabinet so they nicked it. They let me borrow it."

Remus laughed. "Should have known a pair of pranksters would eventually get hold of it again."

While it was all interesting to Harry, he was exhausted, not to mention aching from head to toe. He yawned and rubbed his forehead.

"Right," Remus said, catching on. Weariness began to settle in. He returned the map to Ginny. "Let's go. The sun will be up soon."

The tired four trudged back to the castle's grounds, exited from the hole under the Whomping Willow and three of them slipped through the castle doors. Sirius became the dog again and headed off to wherever it was he was staying. Harry didn't have the energy to give it much thought. He felt sure his legs were going to give out any moment. Once again, he was thankful his uncle's quarters were on the ground floor.

They reached Remus' door just as footsteps echoed around the corner. Remus ushered Ginny inside so she wouldn't be caught out of bed. He helped Harry inside and closed the door.

"You can wait here until the corridor is clear."

Harry stumbled over to the couch, fell onto it, leaned over onto the couch arm and slipped right into sleep. Remus turned back after locking his door and placing some standard alarms on it and saw Harry. A mildly irritated noise escaped him.

"Well, there's not much point in moving him now," he muttered to himself.

Remus looked over to Ginny's slumped and barely awake form. It was obvious she'd never make it back to her dorm.

"Come on, Miss Weasley, you can have the bed Harry usually sleeps in."

Too tired to argue, Ginny stood and followed him.

0000000000

Ginny woke to the smell of bacon and eggs. Her stomach growled noisily. For a split second, she forgot where she was. The previous night's events played across her mind's eye and she quickly got out of bed. The first thing she noticed was Harry, still sacked out on the couch, only this time he was sprawled along the length of it, had a pillow under his head and a light blanket tucked around him. The evidence of the fight was gone.

"Good morning, Miss Weasley."

Ginny turned toward the voice. Professor Lupin sat at a kitchen table, a teacup in front of him, Daily Prophet in one hand. His scratches were gone, as well. He'd obviously contacted Madame Pomfrey at some point.

"Come sit down and have some breakfast. Harry won't be awake for awhile yet."

She gave a deeply sleeping Harry a final glance before joining the man at the table. "What time is it?"

"It's still rather early. I'm surprised you didn't sleep longer."

Ginny helped herself to some food and juice. "Did you even sleep?" She received a nod in the affirmative. "I'm surprised _you _didn't sleep longer."

Remus shrugged. "I usually have a kip in the afternoon." He looked over to the couch, Harry's sleeping form plainly visible. "It's tiring and tough but not nearly as much as it is for Harry. No one's sure why but it's worse the younger you are." He gave another shrug of his shoulders. "Personally, I think it has something to do with the human mind. Wolfsbane allows us to stay human mentally and I think it's that consciousness that's fighting the transformation. The mind know it doesn't belong in a wolf's body."

Remus looked over to Harry again. "It is used to being the one in control and, while young, still believes it can win the battle and so it fights. Then you add in the physical pain of shifting joints and reshaping muscles and bones... Anyway, that's my theory."

Ginny nibbled her eggs, watching concernedly as Harry slept. "How do you do it? How do you stand it?"

"Because it's the only life we have," he said simply.

"Harry mentioned something about having another reason to keep going."

Remus nodded. "Yes, he does, but I have to leave that for Harry to tell you. And he _will_ tell you. I heard him say it and he meant it, but when he does-"

"Let me guess. It's another of those 'don't tell a soul' things."

"Well, yes, it is and you'll understand why once you hear it." He paused. "I hope you realize the giant leap of faith Harry has made. He's absolutely trusting you to keep our secrets. Trust, as you well know, doesn't come easily for him."

"I do realize that," she said, her eyes and voice hardening. "and I swear I will never do anything to make him feel that trust was misplaced."

"I didn't think you would. I just felt it had to be said anyway."

Ginny finished off her breakfast, contemplating how to explain how tired she looked, or why she was wearing the same clothes. Maybe she could just say she hadn't slept much. It would be the truth. Then another thought struck her.

"Classes! What time did you say it was? I have classes this morning!"

Remus chuckled. "Not to worry. I sent word to your morning professors that you would be missing class. You'll be allowed to make up the work."

Ginny wilted in her seat in relief. "Thank you. I was about to panic." She remembered a detail she'd read in Hermione's Defense book and decided to ask about it. "Professor, why don't you hide Harry's eyes? The color change is so obvious."

"Good question. I left it up to Harry. I figured he was old enough now to make that decision. He looks very much like his father and he knows it. His eyes are the one physical trait he inherited from his mother. He didn't want to hide them and the charm can dull the natural color a bit. I've even tried using contact lenses when he was young but they irritated his eyes too much." Seeing her confusion, he explained what contacts were.

"Oh. I can understand that. It's a big risk, though."

"Most worthwhile things in life are." Remus gave the girl a smile. "So, Miss Weasley, do you play chess?"

"I do, a little. My brother Ron is the master player in our family."

Remus went over to a cabinet, retrieved the set, did a quick check on Harry, and returned to the table. Ginny helped him set up the board and pieces.

"Maybe I can even the odds a little."

0000000000

Harry groaned at his sleep being disturbed. He tried to burrow deeper into the warm cocoon he was currently in but the blanket got pulled away. Someone shook his shoulder.

"Rise and shine, Pup."

Harry groaned again. "Just a little bit longer?"

From somewhere off to his right, someone giggled.

"Nope. Sorry, Harry, but I let you sleep as long as I could. Everyone will be out and about soon and you need to be out of here before then. Ginny's here waiting for you to stop being lazy and get up."

Harry's eyes opened and he lifted his head off the couch. Without his glasses he could only see a red-topped blob. Wearily, he pushed himself upright, wincing and groaning at the movement. Rubbing his eyes, he sighed then yawned.

"You'll have to forgive Harry, Miss Weasley. He takes awhile to get going in the morning."

Harry dropped his hands and glared in the man's direction. Or tried to. His squinting ruined the effect.

"Ha Ha. Very funny. Where are my glasses?"

"Here."

A hand appear in front of his face holding his glasses. Harry slipped them on his nose bringing everything back into perfect focus. His gaze turned to Ginny.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Harry. It's you who doesn't look well. Understandable, of course."

Harry ran a hand down his face and futilely tried to flatten his hair.

"Have some breakfast, Harry, but do so quickly."

Harry contemplated just staying right where he was, staring wretchedly at the distance between the couch and food. A small hand appeared before him and he looked up into Ginny's sympathetic eyes.

"Come on. I'll help you."

He wasn't big but she was small and Harry wondered how she'd manage to get him to his feet. He put his hand in hers and pulled himself up. She compensated by leaning backward and pulling him upward. She was definitely stronger than she looked. As soon as he was standing, he dropped her hand.

"Thanks. I'm not sure I would have made it on my own."

Ginny chuckled. "I could tell."

He tried to glare but the corners of his mouth lifted. Shuffling over to the table, Harry filled a plate.

"There normally aren't wolves in the forest, are there?"

Remus' countenance hardened. "No, Harry, and that was no ordinary wolf." He paused, watching Harry closely. "It was Greyback."

Harry's already pale face lost whatever color was left in it as his fork slipped from his numb fingers. "Are you sure?"

Remus nodded. "I recognized his scent. I'd know it anywhere." Remus turned to a quietly sitting Ginny. "Greyback is a werewolf, one of Voldemort's supporters and was present the night Harry's parents were killed. He bit Harry that night and he's also the one who infected me when I was very young."

Ginny gulped. "So why would he be here?"

"That's a very good question. Suffice it to say, it's not a good thing that he is."

Harry's eyes suddenly widened. "Sirius. He's still out there. If Greyback's around, he's just as dangerous in human form. Sirius doesn't have a wand; he can't protect himself."

"Calm down, Harry. I've already been in contact with him. He's fine." Remus glanced at his pocketwatch. "Finish your breakfast. You don't have much time left."

Harry polished off breakfast and he and Ginny were sent on their way. The tired pair slowly headed back toward Gryffindor tower.

"Why is it such a big deal if you're seen with him?"

Harry double checked that they were alone before answering. "Dumbledore wants his relationship with me kept secret. It's a small bit of protection for Uncle Remus since anyone who wanted to get to me could just take him out."

"Well, well. Look what I found. A Weasel and a wol-"

"Shut up, Malfoy," Harry snapped. "I'm really not in the mood for your little games."

"Touchy. What's the matter? Have a bad night? Didn't get much sleep?"

Malfoy's ever-present sidekicks snickered and nudged each other. Harry stepped close to the Slytherin and said in a low, hard voice, "I said go away."

"Or what?" Malfoy sneered.

"Is there a problem here?" came a high-pitched voice.

Harry backed off, looking down at the little Charms professor. "No, sir. Ginny and I were just on our way to Gryffindor tower. Malfoy is the one who stopped us."

"Just to talk," the blonde said, smarmy smile still on his face. "Potter's the one who got all...beastly."

The little professor's brows rose but that was the only reaction to Malfoy's statement. "Well, Mr. Malfoy, I suggest you find another route to wherever it is you're going. I also suggest you give careful consideration to our school motto. There's a reason one should never tickle a sleeping dragon."

Professor Flitwick escorted the Slytherins away from the Gryffindor pair. Ginny gave a little tug on Harry's arm.

"Come on, let's get back to the common room."

They resumed walking and the closer they got to the common room, the more students they passed. Their attire, for it was obvious they were wearing the same clothes they wore yesterday, garnered some strange looks and some harsh whispers. Harry silently cursed himself for forgetting to grab his overnight bag. He obviously hadn't been thinking. Luckily, when they arrived at the Portrait guarding the entrance to their common room, others were in the process of leaving so Harry and Ginny slipped in when the coast was clear.

"Ginny! Where have you been?"

Harry groaned at the shriek. He definitely did not have the patience to deal with the brunette. He rubbed at his tired eyes. The urge to lash out at the girl was strong but he controlled it. She and Ginny were friends. He would just have to deal with it.

Harry walked over to the fire and plopped himself into one of the chairs. Curling up in an almost doglike manner, he closed his eyes and sighed. The two girls also took seats by the fire.

"You never answered my question. Where have you been? I went looking for you last night and couldn't find you. Fred and George wanted to talk to you this morning but you weren't around They didn't seem too worried but I was."

Ginny glanced at Harry all curled up and snickered. "Don't go to sleep, Harry."

There was a delay in his response and, when he did respond, he sounded as if he was more than half-asleep already.

"Mmmmm. I won't."

"Yeah, right." Her amusement faded as she watched him and she softly spoke. "Alright, sleep for a bit. I'll wake you up in an hour." His soft, even breaths were the only response she received.

"Ginny, you won't be here in an hour. Classes, remember? Harry needs to wake up, too."

"Why aren't _you_ going to class, then?"

"Because I was waiting for you! I was worried about you! I thought something had happened to you last night."

Well, something _had_ happened last night but she wasn't about to say a word. "Well, I'm fine, as you can see."

"You don't look it. Are you ill?"

Ginny laughed a little. "No, I'm fine. Honestly. I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

"Why are you still wearing your clothes from yesterday?" Hermione glanced at Harry. "Both of you? Nevermind. It's getting late. If you want breakfast, you need to get around."

With that, the girl stood, bridged the gap between her chair and the couch and moved to shake Harry awake.

"Don't!"

Hermione, startled at the sharp tone, turned a puzzled gaze to Ginny. "Why not? He needs to wake up."

"Because. He needs his sleep."

Hermione sat down on the couch again and studied her friend, taking in the bedraggled state of her clothes, the girl's somewhat tangled hair and bloodshot eyes. After a couple of minutes, her own eyes widened and she whipped around to Harry. He looked worse. His uniform was also very wrinkled, his complexion was fairly pale with redness under his eyes. He was exhaustion personified. What's more, it had been a full moon. The picture before her gelled with everything else she knew about him.

"Merlin," she whispered, turning back to Ginny. "He really is a-"

"He's just tired," Ginny quickly interrupted.

"Ginny, you don't have to-"

The portrait opened and Ron wandered in. "Oh, there you are, Hermione. I thought you were coming down to breakfast. You're going to be late to class if you don't hurry. Oh, hey, Ginny. See, Hermione? I told you she'd turn up." He noticed Harry in the chair. "Sleeping? Again? Bloody hell, all he does is sleep sometimes."

"Ron! Don't be rude!"

"Well, it's true. And he's not exactly the friendliest of blokes, either. Hasn't really spoken to any of us in the dorm."

"I haven't seen you try to be friendly, Ron," Ginny pointed out.

"Well, maybe I would if he actually was around. He keeps to himself, kind of a, how do the muggles say it? A lone wolf?"

Ginny tried really hard to keep her expression and voice from betraying her. "Rubbish. You have classes together. How much more 'around' could he possibly be? And there's always mealtimes. He and I sit together during meals. He's talked to the twins. Maybe he's ignored you because you haven't made an effort."

Ron rolled his eyes. "And maybe he's just a bit of a git. He's made it plain he doesn't want to be here. So why is he?"

"The same reason the rest of us are," Hermione put in. "To learn."

"He could do that anywhere. He doesn't want to be _here _so, again, I ask why is he?"

"Does it really matter? He's here and you could be a little nicer."

"Forget it, Ginny. Why would I waste my time? He probably won't even last the year. He's alienated pretty much everyone. He comes across as arrogant sometimes, like he's _the _Harry Potter and doesn't have to speak or respond to any of us if he doesn't want to."

Hermione quickly glanced at Harry before turning back to Ron. "Don't talk like that. You're being _horribly_ rude now."

"Come on, Hermione. He can't hear me. Admit it. You thought he was a bit rude, too."

"What I said was 'a bit standoffish'. I never said rude."

"Whatever. We need to go. Ginny, you're going to be late for class. Go get dressed."

Ginny yawned. "I'm not going to class this morning. I've been excused."

"Why?"

Ginny's eyes flashed. "That's really not any of your business."

"Fine." Ron shrugged.

As Hermione and Ginny spoke in hushed tones, Ron approached Harry. The instant Ron put his hand on Harry's shoulder to give it a good shake, his world tilted and he hit the floor, flat on his back with Harry crouching over him, his wrist turned awkwardly in a vise-like grip.

"Harry!"

"Ron!"

Harry immediately let go of Ron and jumped up. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little on edge this morning."

Ron glared at Harry. "What the bloody hell was that for?"

"I said I was sorry. I hope I didn't hurt you."

Ron flexed his fingers. "No. I'm fine." He glanced at Ginny then back at Harry. "You're dangerous. I don't want you around my sister anymore."

"Ron!" Ginny yelled. "You don't get a say in who I'm friends with!"

Ron turned on Ginny. "I do if that's his reaction to someone waking him. What if it had been you who woke him up? He would have hurt you."

Ginny could easily see the effects Ron's words were having on Harry. His eyes were downcast but she'd seen the hurt and resignation there. She was losing him all over again. Determined to keep that from happening, she stalked over to Harry and stared him right in the eye.

"Harry won't hurt me," she said, her voice soft but very sure.

"He wouldn't have known it was you! He was asleep!"

Ginny faced her brother. "Well, I wouldn't have been stupid enough to try to wake a stranger."

"Well, how was I to know he'd react like that?" Ron turned hard blue eyes on Harry. "You might rethink being here. I, personally, think you're too dangerous to be around. Who knows what you'll do next."

"Well, thankfully, your opinion doesn't count!"

"What is going on in here?" came the stern voice of their Head of House.

"Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, why aren't you off to class yet?"

Ron folded his arms across his chest. "I came up to get Hermione and tried to wake Harry up. The second I touched him he pinned me to the floor."

The woman's expression softened slightly. "Mr. Potter, is this true?"

Harry gulped. "Yes, ma'am. I apologized. I didn't mean it. I've just been on edge lately."

McGonagall nodded. "Yes, I'm sure you have been. We'll need to work on that."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Now, Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, I suggest you get to your morning's classes."

"But, what about-?"

"Now, Mr. Weasley."

Reluctantly, Ron nodded and he led Hermione out of the common room, rucksacks slung over their shoulders. McGonagall took a seat on the couch and motioned for Harry and Ginny to take a seat, which they did so, both looking apprehensive.

"Remus told me what happened last night," she continued in a very calm, comforting voice. "First of all, are you both okay?" Ginny looked surprised. "What, you think I didn't know of Remus and Harry's special circumstances? The entire staff knows. It was a condition of Remus' employment. Now, are you both okay?

Ginny nodded. "Just really tired, Professor."

McGonagall then turned to Harry. "Harry?"

"Yes, ma'am. I had a few scratches but Madame Pomfrey took care of them. Now, it's just the usual aches."

The Transfiguration professor nodded kindly. "I understand. I've talked with Madame Pomfrey and she believes, to help with your edginess, it would be beneficial to begin running the week leading up to the full moon. Take Remus with you. I don't want you out alone."

"I'll try it. It certainly can't make it worse."

"Good." Minerva turned to Ginny. "Now, I'm not so sure you being out all night is a good thing. It's just too dangerous for you to continue doing so."

Ginny's eyes flashed and her cheeks flushed. "Harry won't hurt me. I have absolute faith in him."

"As do I," the professor reassured her. "I wasn't referring to Harry or Remus."

"Greyback." Harry uttered the name with dread.

"Exactly. The unthinkable could have happened last night. Am I right in thinking he's the one responsible for you and Remus?" Harry nodded. "Then he'd like nothing better than to infect one of your friends, as well, Harry. You can see why I feel Ginny should not be out again."

"Of course, Professor. I wouldn't wish this life on anyone."

"Miss Weasley? No more excursions?"

Ginny agreed. "No more."

McGonagall nodded. "One more thing and then I'll let the two of you get some sleep. Is Ginny the only one who knows, Harry?"

Harry started to nod but Ginny interrupted. "Actually, Hermione figured it out. I haven't confirmed anything and have tried to wave off her suspicions but I don't think she believes it. You don't have to worry about her, Harry. She won't tell anyone."

"Perhaps I'd better have a chat with her. Okay, anyone else?"

"Draco might. He keeps hinting, his choice of words sometimes is worrying."

"Yes, Harry. I hate to say it but there's a very good chance he knows or strongly suspects. Greyback was a devoted Voldemort follower. It wouldn't surprise me if he boasted about turning you. I'll speak with Albus and see if there's anything we might be able to do about Mr. Malfoy. Anyone else?"

The two kids shook their heads. "Alright, then. Go on up to bed. Sleep well. You won't be excused from your afternoon classes."

"Understood," the two chorused.

"Thanks, Professor."

"You're entirely welcome, Harry."

0000000000

Somewhere, far from Hogwarts, an enraged cry echoed throughout the large residence.

"What is he doing? He's going to ruin everything!" The blonde man threw the object in his hand, the object he'd been using to communicate with his son, and watched it shatter "I've worked hard to get where I am. I'm NOT going to let some filthy—creature—ruin it. I want Potter exposed for what he is. I want the world to know that their precious little hero is nothing but a hideous, crazed beast. And I _will _get what I want. I always do."


	7. Counted as Warriors

"**_No person, trying to take responsibility for her or his identity, should have to be so alone. There must be those among whom we can sit down and weep, and still be counted as warriors." __  
__― __Adrienne Rich_ **

Saturday morning, Ginny found herself awakened by Hermione. "What's the matter?"

"We need to talk. Privately."

Ginny knew exactly what the older girl wanted to talk about. The same thing she'd been wanting to talk about since the morning after the full moon.

She gave a frustrated sigh at having been awakened so early. "Alright. Let's go."

She threw on her dressing gown and followed Hermione down the stairs. She sat in the same chair Harry had curled up in that day, subconsciously declaring her allegiance.

Hermione sat on the couch, took a deep calming breath, then looked up. "Ginny, I know," she said softly. "About Harry. I know what he is. I know why you both were so exhausted that morning. Harry displays all the signs; to be honest, I'm surprised no one else knows."

"Hermione, I don't-"

"Ginny, you don't have to deny it. You don't have to protect him from me. You've probably made him a promise and I can respect that. I'm so sorry for how I've acted, Ginny. Professor McGonagall and I had a nice little chat and it made me realize how awful I've been. I hope you can forgive me. Just know that he has nothing to fear from me."

"I appreciate that."

Both girls startled at Harry's voice by the boys' stairs. Hermione spun around, hand to her heart. "Harry, you scared me. You move so quietly."

Harry shrugged. "A perk, I guess."

"Anyway, I know you and I haven't gotten off to a good start so you have no reason to believe me but your secret is safe with me."

Harry looked to Ginny for how to respond. She seemed to study her friend a moment. Hermione turned back around to Ginny, not flinching from the younger girl's gaze. Ginny returned her gaze to Harry and smiled with a single nod. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"Okay. Not that I have much choice anyway."

Ginny beamed at him and motioned him over. That smile made him feel special, like he just did something fantastic. It wasn't an altogether foreign sensation as Uncle Remus had always gone out of his way to make sure he felt that way, but coming from Ginny, it seemed a little extra special. He couldn't figure out why so he put it out of his head to ponder another day. He took a seat on the couch.

"Harry, I'm really sorry about those things I did and for acting the way I have. I haven't been very welcoming. Sometimes I have such a one-track mind that I don't really think about how others are affected by what I do and say. And yes, sometimes I come across as...well, a not-so-nice word that rhymes with witch. I hope you can forgive me. I'd like to be a friend."

"Er, okay, I guess. I can try. No guarantees, though."

"Understood. Thank you, Harry."

Footsteps skipped down the boys' stairs. "Ah, Harry and Ginny! Just the ones I was hoping to see. Come down to breakfast. Impromptu practice in 20 minutes."

"Alright, We'll be down soon."

Oliver nodded and headed out. Harry scowled. "Why does he have to make practice so early?"

Ginny giggled. "Oliver is a bit obsessive, if you haven't noticed. It's his last year and he wants to win. I can't fault him for that."

"Well, I can't either but it's still way too early."

"I thought you enjoyed flying," Ginny teased.

"I do! It's just he has a knack for taking all the fun out of it."

The two girls laughed at that. Once she'd settled down, Hermione hesitantly asked her question. "How are you, Harry? Really? You look a little better than you did a few days ago."

"I am better. The day after a full moon I'm pretty much rubbish. If I can sleep, I don't notice the aches so much. It takes a few days to get back to normal. It's the opposite when the full moon approaches. The aches come on and get worse as it gets closer. And I get all edgy, jittery. I can get moody, too, so if I snap at you, try not to take it personally."

"I get it. May I ask about the-," she paused when some girls came down the stairs, giggling. Once they'd left, she continued. "-the Wolfsbane Potion? I mean, how does it work? How does it help?"

Harry squirmed a bit. He wasn't really all that comfortable talking about it. The bushy-haired girl must have picked up on it.

"It's okay, Harry. You don't have to talk about it."

"Besides, Harry and I should probably be getting down to the Great Hall before Oliver comes up and frog marches us down."

"Oh, true." Hermione stood and rushed upstairs. Within minutes she was back with her rucksack. "I'm going to the library after breakfast."

"Surprise, surprise," Ginny cheekily joked.

0000000000

"Are we ever going to just get out there and fly?"

"Yeah, we're never going to remember all of this anyway."

Oliver glared at the twins. "We'll do it until you're doing it in your dreams."

Harry groaned. Angelina smacked Fred, Alicia got George. Katie dropped her head into her hands.

"Look, this is important. We're playing Slytherin first and we know how dirty they can play. We need to be ready for every contingency."

"We already are," quipped Fred.

"Yeah, we have Harry," added George, throwing Harry a wink.

Harry blushed at the praise. For them to treat him so favorably touched him. He discovered he liked being around the twins. They were loads of fun. They were kind of how he imagined his dad, Uncle Remus and Sirius had been.

"Thanks, guys, but I'm nothing without the rest of you."

"Spoken like a true team player," Oliver said, nodding and smiling.

Fred faked a look of distaste. "That's most Hufflepuff of you, Harry. Are you sure you're in the right House?"

Angelina cut in. "I thought that was quite noble. So, yes, he's in the right House."

"Besides," Alicia added, laughing. "we're not giving him up."

"Never," George agreed.

"You haven't even seen me play. I could be total rubbish. I haven't actually played before."

"Harry, if you fly half as well as Oliver says you do..."

"...not to mention what we saw during tryouts..."

"...we have nothing to worry about."

"Alright, well, let's get out there and get some practice in."

0000000000

"Hermione! What are you doing here? I thought you were going to the library."

"I did for a little bit but I thought I ought to be here. You know, to cheer Harry on. What are you doing up here?"

"Oh, I'm only getting to play in a game or two, to get some experience so I'm up here. It'll mean a lot to Harry to see you up here, too. You and I, and to a lesser extent Fred and George, are pretty much the only friends he has."

"I'm not surprised considering...everything." Hermione glanced around. They were alone in their little section. "Does he talk about..._it_?"

"No, but he doesn't have to." Ginny felt her eyes tear up. "Oh, Hermione, it was so awful." She swiped at an escaping tear. "The pain he was in. I'll never get the sounds out of my head." A shudder ran through her.

Hermione draped her arm over the younger girl's shoulders. "I'm sorry, Ginny. I didn't mean to upset you. I shouldn't have brought it up."

Ginny sniffed. "It's okay. I'm glad I can talk to you about this. I certainly can't talk to Harry; he'd push me away and shut down again."

"It was that bad?"

"Imagine the worst pain you've ever felt and multiply it times a thousand." Hermione paled. "It was probably even worse than that. It's what it sounded like anyway."

"That's terrible."

"And it's worse for Harry because he's young. Professor Lupin said it affects the young the worst. He thinks it has something to do with the human mind fighting the physical transformation, trying to take control or something like that." She gave a sarcastic laugh. "And can you believe Harry was embarrassed and ashamed that I heard him screaming?"

"What? That's just silly. He shouldn't be ashamed of that."

"Yeah, that's what I told him. I guess he's been alone for so long, hasn't had that acceptance before that...well, I don't know how to explain it."

"I think I know what you mean. And yes, the way he's been forced to live, with no real friends, it explains a lot, especially his initial resentment for being here. So many magical people probably turned away from him. I can't say that I blame him for not wanting to be in the magical world. I know my attitude before didn't help any. Ginny, how is it that no one knows of Harry's little problem? I mean, if he's been around magical people, surely someone would have noticed his scar and would have seen the...signs."

"I asked Professor Lupin why they didn't hide Harry's eyes and he said the charm some use dulls the eye color, blends it kind of, so the change isn't as obvious and Harry didn't want to hide anymore the one feature he got from his mum. They'd tried using those things muggles use in their eyes but they irritated Harry's eyes too much. Harry told me that when he was little his scar had been hidden and he went by his uncle's last name Sometimes they even changed his eye color a little."

"Oh," Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, his eyes are kind of distinctive, when they're his normal color, I mean. There's something I've been wondering. How could Harry handle that Sickle I gave him? It's pure silver. Why didn't it hurt him?"

"Because Sickles have a charm on them, kind of like an Impervious Charm. The charm provides a barrier between the silver and the skin. No contact, no burns."

"Brilliant. Why didn't I read about that somewhere?"

"Because it's not widely known. And it isn't written down. It's just passed down from one to another." Ginny suddenly jumped up. "Oh, look! There they are!"

0000000000

The practice lasted nearly to lunchtime. It was a rather tired Harry who flew over to the stands to join the girls. Dismounting his broom, he plopped onto the bench next to Ginny and sighed.

"I'm going to have to hurt Oliver."

"You might want to choose your words a little more carefully," came a cold voice behind them. "Especially after what you did to me in the common room."

"Ron!" Hermione jumped up, spinning to face the redhead behind them. Her cheeks burned as her temper rose. "That was an accident and you know it. Besides, I've heard Angelina and Alicia threaten Oliver with worse. If you're worried about a threat from somewhere, worry about it coming from them."

"Hermione, I can't believe you're okay with _him_ being here. You saw what he did."

"And he apologized for it. I don't hold grudges." She crossed her arms over her chest and looked a little sad. "I'm disappointed to find that you do, though I guess I should have seen it."

"Mark my words, Hermione. He's going to hurt someone someday. Maybe a little first year. What are you going to say then? How are you going to defend him then?"

"Is there a problem here?"

With Ginny busy trying to convince Harry her brother was wrong and with Hermione and Ron's loud argument, none of them heard Remus join them in the stands. They all jumped when he spoke.

"Oh, hi, Professor."

"Yeah, something's wrong, alright," Ron said, hoping to show up Hermione. "I believe someone's in danger of being hurt."

"Oh? Who might that be?"

"I don't know yet. It hasn't happened yet but I'm certain it will."

"Hmmm. This sounds important. Come with me and we'll discuss it." Remus looked down at the long package he held, as if he'd forgotten he had it. "Oh, Mr. Potter, this came for you this morning. You'd already left to come down here so I volunteered to bring it to you."

"Oh!"

As Harry walked over to retrieve it, Remus turned to Ron. "Head on up to the castle. I'll meet you there."

"Alright." Ron threw a smirk in Hermione's direction before taking off.

Remus waited until the boy's footfalls faded before speaking again. "Don't worry, Harry, it'll work itself out."

"But he's right. I _could_ hurt someone. I didn't even realize I'd tackled Ron. What if some first year comes along next?"

"Harry, Minerva informed me as to what happened. You know as well as I do what happened had to do with timing. The running that Madame Pomfrey prescribed will help work off that edginess, I think. You start doing that and I think the issue will be less problematic. Just let me know before you start. Alright?"

"Alright."

Remus smiled gave Harry a quick hug. "Now, as for this," he held up the long package, "it's from Sirius. I believe his exact words were 'I want him to show up those Slytherins and prove who deserves to be on his team.'"

Harry laughed. "That sounds like Sirius."

He took the package and lay it on a bench so he could start unwrapping it. It wasn't until he'd gotten half the broom handle unwrapped that he froze, mouth hanging open.

"Oh, no way!" In a flurry of movement, the rest of the paper came off. "Brilliant!"

Ginny's eyes were round with awe. "A Firebolt," she whispered. "Wicked!"

"A racing broom?" Hermione asked, sounded less than thrilled. "What do you need with a racing broom?

Ginny shook her head, pity in her eyes. "It's the perfect broom, Hermione. Its unsurpassable balance and pinpoint precision, not to mention its aerodynamic perfection makes it the perfect broom for Quidditch. Then there's the unbreakable Braking Charm. And it's fast, nought to one hundred and fifty miles per hour in ten seconds. The handle is ash with birch or hazel twigs depending on personal preference and the ironwork is goblin made."

Remus grinned, Harry's brows rose in surprise and Hermione stared at the girl, impressed. Ginny blushed, laughed a little.

"Yeah, okay, so I memorized the ad in Quality Quidditch Supplies. It's a beautiful broom, Harry. You'll fly even more circles around Malfoy."

"One little correction, Miss Weasley. It's actually made of polished ebony. This one has birch twigs as birch gives it a little more 'oomph' when ascending."

"Ebony? Really?" Ginny shrugged. "Oh, well. Still. Try it out, Harry."

Harry wanted to try it out but he felt a little weird doing so. It was a terribly expensive broom and riding it in front of Ginny, whose family had very little money, seemed to him as if he was showing off. He looked up to Remus to hopefully get some advice but the man merely smiled.

"I should get back to the castle. I'm sure Mr. Weasley is wondering where I am." He leaned close. "Sirius is out there keeping watch but don't be out too long."

The man walked away and Harry stared after him. What should he do now? What was the appropriate action to take? Uggh, this was frustrating.

"What are you waiting for, Harry? Come on, take it out."

Harry turned to Hermione. She knew about a lot of stuff, maybe she could signal him as to what he should do. Nope. She seemed to be waiting for him to do something. He turned his gaze to Ginny. Her brow furrowed in puzzlement, her amber eyes searching his. Then her expression cleared.

"Harry," she said softly, "you don't have to feel bad. So you have access to money. Big deal. Money isn't everything. What my family lacks in our vault, we more than make up for at home. So go fly that awesome broom. I want to watch."

How did she know? How did she know that was exactly how he'd been feeling? He searched for any sign that she was being untruthful and found none. She truly was happy for him and wanted to see him fly it. He thought about how she'd had the ad in the store memorized. How often had she even been able to get to Diagon Alley? Probably not often and she'd still managed to memorize it. An idea came to him and he acted on it.

"You first." He held the broom out to her.

Ginny just looked at him. "What?"

"You first. I'm guessing you didn't make that many trips to Diagon Alley and yet you still managed to commit all that to memory. You can go first."

"Harry, I'm not going to be the first one to ride your gift. I'll make a deal with you. You ride it first, then I will, okay?"

Harry gave her a smile. "Deal."

Mounting the broom, he kicked off and shot upward. He put the broom through its paces performing dives, barrel rolls, corkscrews, quick turns. He raced from one end of the pitch to the other. Done for the moment, he headed back to Ginny.

"Merlin, Harry, that thing is fast!"

Harry had to laugh at the picture she made. She was practically jumping up and down, she was so excited. Her eyes danced and her cheeks were flushed. Her smile nearly blinded him with its brilliance. He got this unfamiliar sensation in his stomach. Unfamiliar but not altogether unpleasant. .

"Here. Your turn."

She took off, a whoop of joy splitting the air.

"That was nice of you, Harry," Hermione commented.

Harry shrugged. "She loves to fly as much as I do. Why shouldn't she get to experience it?"

Hermione looked over to him. "You're amazing, Harry. Others wouldn't have given it a second thought and just gotten out there, but you, you were actually embarrassed."

Harry shrugged a second time, keeping his eyes on Ginny's petite form. "I know what it's like to not have money. I felt unworthy, envious when others flaunted their expensive things in front of me. I didn't want to do that. Ginny's been a great friend and I didn't want to do anything to muck it up."

The girl's mouth curved upward slightly. "I don't think you can. She's already accepted you as you are."

Harry tore his gaze away from the pitch to look into the other girl's blue eyes. "That's exactly why I'm afraid of mucking it up. I mean, how many more Ginnys are out there?"

The girl in question chose that moment to return. "Oh, that was so wicked, Harry. I can't wait to see Malfoy's face. He's going to _faint_."

"It would certainly help me catch the Snitch if he did so."

"Oh, you won't have any trouble. You fly way better than he does." Harry's stomach let out a loud growl making Ginny laugh. "Come on. It's probably lunchtime."

The pair had taken a few steps before Ginny realized Hermione hadn't come with them. She stopped and turned back to find Hermione watching them, a small smile on her face.

"You coming, Hermione?"

"Actually," she said, an idea having just occurred to her. "I'll catch up to you. There's something I want to do first."

"We can wait."

"No, Ginny, don't. It's okay."

The pair exchanged a glance, both thinking the same thing. "Actually, I'd rather you weren't out here alone, Hermione." Harry countered.

"Why not?"

"I'd just feel better if you weren't, okay?"

"Alright. I'm not all that hungry yet so I think I'll work on some homework before I go to lunch."

"Suit yourself," Ginny said with a shrug.

0000000000

Hermione said good-bye to her friends and watched them enter the Great Hall, Harry still carrying his Firebolt. Inwardly, she smiled at her cleverness. Unless she missed her guess, Ginny was harboring a little crush on Harry. She'd seen the way the girl had blushed when she first started talking about him. And her eyes lit up, too. She'd be good for Harry, Hermione was sure of it, and Merlin knew Harry hadn't had many good things so far in his life. What he'd said touched her greatly. He obviously cherished his friendship with Ginny. It kind of made her sad that someone with such a tender heart and soul had been forced by society to live separate and alone from everyone. Hermione recalled the way he'd looked at the petite redhead after he'd ridden his broom. Maybe he was starting to feel a bit of something toward Ginny. Hermione figured she could play matchmaker a little.

0000000000

Once lunch was eaten, Harry pulled Ginny into a classroom that looked to have been abandoned for years. By one wall, he let go of his broom and let it hover there. They found some old pillows and cleaned them off a little before settling onto the floor, leaning against the wall opposite of Harry's broom. Ginny appeared puzzled but remained silent and he was grateful for the chance to figure out how to say what he wanted to tell her.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Staring at his hands, he decided to just say it. "Ginny, remember I told you I had another reason to accept being a werwolf?" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her nod. "Before I was born, there was a prophecy made that described the person who'd be able to get rid of Riddle—for good. It's why my parents were in hiding and it's why they were killed."

"Someone predicted Riddle's defeat?" Harry nodded. "Do you want to share what it said? _Can _you share what it said?"

"I shouldn't but I don't want to keep any secrets from you. Not anymore. You've been too good of a friend to me."

"I appreciate that, Harry, but if you feel you shouldn't share it, then maybe-"

"No, this is important. Uncle Remus knows I'm telling you and he's okay with it. You just can't tell anyone else."

"Of course I won't, Harry."

"Before I tell you that, though, I need to say something else, something I should have told you a long time ago."

"Okay," she said, drawing the word out.

"I'm a parselmouth."

"What?"

"I can talk to snakes. I just wanted you to know because of, you know, your previous experience."

Ginny paused a moment then drew in a deep breath. "It doesn't change who you are. So, tell me about this prophecy."

Harry pulled his knees up to his chest and propped his arms on them, fingers entwined, the thumb of one hand nervously rubbing the palm of his other hand. Keeping his eyes locked on his knees, he shared his destined mission.

"It's me, Ginny. _I'm_ the one who has to do it." One hand lifted his fringe, revealing his scar. "He marked me, Ginny. My scar is the proof that it's me."

Ginny sat, stunned, just staring at her friend. Then she slowly shook her head, vision beginning to blur. "No. No way. No, Harry. There must be some mistake. There _has _to be some mistake."

"There's isn't. The Chosen One was to be born at the end of July, which I was, born to parents who had defied Riddle three times, which mine had, and would be marked as Riddle's equal, which I obviously have been."

A tear escaped and she let it fall. "But surely there's someone else who-"

"Only two babies were born at that time who fit the first two descriptions. I was one of them. Riddle himself fulfilled the last requirement when he tried to kill me."

Another tear escaped but she ignored it. "Is that why you didn't come to Hogwarts when you were eleven? Because of Riddle?"

"Not really. It's more that I wanted nothing to do with the wizarding world. They wanted nothing to do with me, after all. But then Uncle Remus heard what happened with that Stone and decided I was safer where I was. He had to have work, though, so he took the teaching position this year. My parents had left him a little money when they died so we'd been living off that and what little he made tutoring but it finally ran out. I wasn't happy that he'd taken the job without talking to me first. I felt so betrayed I ended up not speaking to him for two days."

"Oh, Harry. I'm sorry." Ginny lay her head on Harry's shoulder.

"It's okay. I got over it. What I've told you of the prophecy so far isn't the worst part."

"Tell me." Her voice quivered but it held a note of determination.

Harry's throat closed up. He'd rarely spoken of it, even to his uncle so he found it extremely difficult to do so now.

In a bit of a rasp, he quoted, "One must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives."

Ginny buried her face in Harry's shoulder and cried, holding nothing back. He felt her arm slide around his back and he turned and pulled her closer. Her other arm slipped around his waist, her tears soaked the front of his shirt. He hated making her cry but he still felt she needed to know. He believed she needed to know what could be in store for her if she wanted to be his friend.

"It's not fair," she said through her tears. "You have enough to deal with. Why that, too?"

"Fairness hasn't exactly been the theme of my life, Ginny. I learned to accept my role in what was to come. Don't get me wrong, I denied it at first, didn't want to believe it but in the end, I realized I was better off meeting it head on. At least, I'd be more prepared that way." He grew quiet a few minutes. "I wish I'd been here last year. I could have helped you and you wouldn't have had to go through all that."

Ginny's head jerked off his chest and she pulled away from him. Though red and puffy, her eyes were fierce. "I'm glad you weren't. You could have gotten hurt or worse. I'd go through it again if it meant you stayed safe."

"But Ginny-"

"No, Harry. I would have hated myself if you'd been here and had gotten hurt or killed because of me. You're too important. And I'm not just talking about that prophecy. The world needs more people like you."

"More werewolves?"

Her blazing glare made him instantly sorry he'd been flippant.

"I meant people who were kind and sincere but you know, now that I think about, your status as a werewolf could be put to use, too."

"How's that?"

"To show people that not all werewolves are the evil creatures they're made out to be, that most of you are just like everyone else, having the same needs and wants."

"Maybe. I'm just not comfortable with everyone knowing what I am."

"Think about it before deciding. If it ever did come out, you could use it then."

"Granted."

"Is this why you're doing extra work for Charms?"

"Yeah. I'm kind of bored, too, so Professor Flitwick agreed to let me work ahead."

"So what are you working on now?"

"It's a fifth year spell that silences whatever you use it on."

"Really? That's brilliant! Have you had any success?"

"None at all."

"Why did they put you in third year if you're so advanced?"

"I'm only that advanced in Charms, Defense and Potions. The other classes I'm between third and fourth year so they put me in third figuring I could work ahead when needed."

"Makes sense."

The two sat in comfortable silence awhile before Harry spoke.

"Are you okay?"

Ginny looked up at him incredulously. "You tell me you have to rid the world of Riddle and you're asking me if _I'm_ okay?"

Harry shrugged, a little embarrassed. "I've had time to accept it." He paused and looked away. "I'm going to end up a target. I'd understand if you'd rather not-"

Ginny pulled his his face back around, looked him straight in the eye. "I'm not going anywhere, Harry. I'm not like all those others who let you down. I'm sticking by you and don't you forget it. You're my best friend. You're not alone anymore."

A strange mix of joy and something else made his stomach do cartwheels before sliding up his chest to his heart. He'd been so afraid the news would have been one revelation too many and she'd cut her losses, give him up as a bad job. His vision blurred and he tried to fight the tears but Ginny gathered him into a hug, told him it was okay to cry, which he did, his head on her shoulder, his sniffles the only sounds in the room.

A while later, Harry finally pulled away, swiped at his tears, sniffled a few more times. "Sorry about that."

"About what? About crying? Merlin, Harry, you're entitled."

"I messed up your shirt."

Ginny looked down at the damp spot covering her shoulder then looked back up at Harry. "I'll consider it a badge of honor. Besides, I cried all over your shoulder. I'm happy to return the favor."

"Thanks, Ginny."

"Anytime, Harry." She elbowed him playfully. "That's what friends are for."

0000000000

The last day of the month was the first Hogsmeade visitation day. Although Harry could go since Remus had signed a permission form, he didn't want to go and leave Ginny behind. Hermione was going with Ron and had invited Harry but Harry didn't feel like being glared at all day so he declined. He and Ginny stood in the Entrance Hall, Ginny doing her best to convince Harry to go ahead.

"But why? Hermione's going with Ron. I'd just be by myself. I don't see how that would be any fun."

"I have a few Sickles I've saved. Get me something from Honeydukes, preferably a sugar quill or chocolate frog."

Harry continued to protest but Ginny was adamant, even giving him a little shove towards towards the open doors.

"Oh, and here."

Reaching in her pocket, she pulled out 5 sickles and attempted to hand them to Harry. In the end, she had to open his hand, drop the coins into it and close his fingers around them.

"Are you absolutely sure, Ginny?"

"Of course, I'm sure, Harry. Now go. You're wasting time."

"Alright, but I won't be gone long."

"Take as long as you want. More importantly, enjoy yourself."

"I would if you were with me."

That made Ginny smile and it brightened her eyes. "Thanks, Harry. That's sweet of you. Now go."

Harry waved half-heartedly and joined the others spilling through the doors. His hands stuffed in his pockets, head down, he trudged his way along, sedately following the crowds of students. Some passed him by without saying a word; some just gave him an odd look. Harry didn't care. He didn't feel much like talking to them, either. At least the weather was holding up, chilly but sunny.

"Hey! Harry!"

Harry looked up and saw Neville standing with Dean and Seamus, waving him over to The Three Broomsticks. Neville was usually nice to him. Sometimes, Harry envied the slightly pudgy boy's blissful ignorance of what could have been _his _destiny, envied the boy's unfettered life. He ambled over to see what Neville wanted.

"Harry, why are you by yourself? Stay with us. It's not much fun to be here alone."

The looks on the other boys' faces gave away their thoughts on Harry joining them. Harry wondered if Ron had been talking to them and convinced them to stay as far away as possible. Neville didn't seem to notice.

"That's okay, Neville. I'm just here long enough to pick up something for Ginny. Thanks, anyway."

"Oh, okay. Well, talk to you later then."

"Yeah."

Harry continued on, looking for Honeydukes. Off a little ways away to his left, sat the Shrieking Shack, looming over the picturesque village just as the prophecy and his lycanthropy loomed over his life. A little farther down the lane he found Honeydukes. Packed with students, he wasn't sure there was room to even get in the door. He did manage to squeeze in and discovered the barely controlled chaos of the shop. He looked around at all the brightly colored displays. Ice Mice, Cauldron Cakes, Chocolate Frogs, Honeydukes' Best Chocolate, No-Melt Ice Cream, Pixie Puffs, Pumpkin Fizz, Pumpkin Pasties, Sugar Quills, Treacle Fudge and so much more, stuff he couldn't see for students crowding in front of the displays.

"Harry!"

"Oh, hey, Alicia."

"You look a little overwhelmed." The Gryffindor Chaser looked around the shop trying to remember how it felt when she saw it the first time. "Yeah, I guess it can be a bit dizzying. Maybe I can help. Looking for anything in particular?"

"I promised Ginny I'd pick her up some chocolate frogs and sugar quills. I'll probably get myself something, as well. Any suggestions?"

"Well, I'd suggest staying away from Bertie Botts' Beans. They're not kidding about the 'Every Flavor' part. Unless you want a hole burned into your tongue, stay away from the Acid Pops. The Bat's Blood Soup and Blood flavored lollipops are obvious ones to stay away from. Other than that, it depends on your personal preference in sweets."

"I like chocolate pretty well and am kind of partial to treacle tart."

"Then I'd suggest some of Honeydukes' Best Chocolate and the Treacle Fudge." She pointed out the locations of each sweet. "Anything else I can help with?"

"I don't think so, but thanks."

She nodded and moved off to catch up to her friends. Harry squeezed next to the rows of chocolate and picked up a few chocolate frogs and a couple of bars of Honeydukes' Best chocolate. He had to squeeze back out to get across the room to the Sugar Quills. He picked three of them, then turned to the line at the counter. After waiting a few more minutes, he got his Treacle Fudge, paid for everything and made his escape.

Outside, he took a deep breath of the crisp air. Harry wandered a little more to see what other shops the village had.

"Well, what do you know, it's Potter. Didn't recognize you at first, Potter, without your little sidekick. She didn't want to be seen in public with you? Maybe she has more common sense than I thought."

"Shut up, Malfoy."

"Oh, that's right, she's only a second year. Too bad, Potter."

Harry's temper tried to get him to strike back but he knew better. Draco and his goons laughed. The blonde looked Harry up and down.

"You're pathetic, Potter."

The Slytherin trio laughed again and shoved by Harry. Harry continued his walk. On down he found a very busy Zonkos Joke Shop. Not wanting to experience another hectic shop, he stayed away. Hogsmede boasted a clothing shop, herbology shop, music shop, bookstore, a quill store, cauldron shop and, surprisingly enough, a greengrocer and the headquarters to the Wizarding Wireless Network. There were a few shops down side streets but he had no interest in seeing what they were. Figuring he'd seen enough of Hogsmede, he headed back the way he'd come. With the sack dangling from his wrist, he stuffed his hands deep into his pockets. He was missing Ginny's infectious laughter.

He missed his parents, too. The pain of not knowing them was always stronger on the anniversary of their deaths. Usually he and Remus took a little time to visit the graves in Godric's Hollow but Harry doubted they'd go this year. And if they didn't, it would be the first time in a long time that they missed it.

"Harry, mate, you look like a-"

"-little lost puppy."

Harry looked up and realized he'd reached Zonkos and the twins had just exited the shop. If he'd been happier, he'd have thought their comment quite funny seeing as they had no clue how accurate it was. He did feel lost when Ginny wasn't around. How in Merlin's name did she ever come to mean so much to him so quickly? He pushed the thought away and tried to smile.

"Hey. How are you two?"

"We're fine but you-"

"-obviously are not."

Harry merely shrugged. Fred came over and draped an arm across Harry's shoulders. George also came over.

"Heading back so soon?"

"But, of course, Gred. Little Gin-Gin couldn't come out to play." Fred waggled his eyebrows.

"Ah, quite right, Forge."

Harry's entire face burned. He wanted to deny it was anything like how they were thinking but was afraid saying anything would just egg them on. Besides, the twins were alright. They hadn't kept their distance, didn't let his less than stellar attitude bother them. A lot like Ginny, in fact. Or maybe she was a lot like them. Either way, Harry liked the twins and could endure a little teasing from them.

"We're just taking the mickey a little, Harry," Fred said after a few moments of silence.

"Right, Harry. We know you and Ginny are good friends again. Have to tell you, though, if you hadn't made up, we'd have been forced to do something ourselves."

"So how did you do it? Usually when Ginny's mad, she holds a terrible grudge."

"I confessed one of my secrets to her," Harry quipped.

"Secrets?" Fred perked up.

"And what might that be, oh scrawny Gryffindor Seeker?"

Harry made a big deal of checking for eavesdroppers then pulled the two down a side street. Not a single person walked along the street so Harry felt safe enough. He thought about telling them the truth, knowing they wouldn't take him seriously, but if they said anything and the wrong person overheard, it could be a disaster. So instead he made something up.

"So what's the secret?"

With as straight a face he could manage, he said, "I told her that at every fourth new moon I become a merman and have to spend the night in water or I'll die."

The twins stared blankly at Harry a moment before busting out laughing. Fred patted Harry on the back.

"Good one, there, Harry."

"Didn't know you had it in you," George said, mussing Harry's hair.

"Alright, Harry, keep your secrets. Just glad you and Ginny are speaking to each other again."

"Believe me, I am too. She's the only real friend I've ever had. See you, guys."

Harry hurried off, turned the corner and disappeared. Fred looked over to George, all joviality gone.

"That's just sad."

"Yes, it is. Who'd have thought, right?"

"Right. He looked so down. Like you said, a little lost puppy."

"Brother mine, I think it can be arranged so Harry wouldn't have to be a little lost puppy the next time."

"Dear brother, I like how you think. We really don't need it anymore, at any rate."

"What do you think?" Fred asked after they had turned onto the village's main street. "Do you think Ginny may just have a little crush on her friend?"

George grinned. "I'd say it was likely."

"Now, here's the bigger question. Do you think Harry feels anything besides friendship for little Gin-Gin?"

George shrugged. "Maybe. The way he looked when he said he was glad they were friends again—I kind of wonder. It _could_ just be gratitude, but it seemed there might be something there whether he knew it or not. I have to say I wouldn't be opposed to the idea if he did start to like her."

"I agree. He's loosened up a lot."

"Uh-huh. That's our Gin-Gin. Able to poke her way through any carefully constructed walls."

"Maybe some observation of our little lost puppy is in order. Can't make a move without knowing for sure what the move should be."

"Naturally."

0000000000

Harry caught up to Ginny in the common room. Tipping the sack upside down, he let the sweets rain down in front of her.

"Harry!" Ginny jumped in surprise. She'd had her back to the portrait entrance so had no idea he'd come in. "Back already? What's all this?"

"I was bored so I came back."

Harry separated two chocolate frogs, one bar of Honeydukes chocolate, a sugar quill and the treacle fudge from the pile and scooted the rest towards Ginny. Her eyes widened at the small stack of sweets.

"Harry, I only asked for a chocolate frog or a sugar quill."

"I know but I wanted to get you more. You deserve it." She narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to speak but Harry cut her off. "I used your money to pay for what you asked for. The rest_ I _bought."

"You don't have to spend your money on me, Harry."

"I know." Harry gave her a shrug. "If you don't want the extra stuff, just hand it back."

"Not a chance, Potter," Ginny shot back, gathering the sweets closer to her. "You know I have a weakness for chocolate."

Harry grinned. "I know."

"That's so unfair, you know, to use my weakness against me."

Ginny turned big puppy eyes on Harry then ruined it by laughing. Her laughter made him feel as if his stomach was being tickled—from the inside.

"All's fair in—" He blushed and ducked his head, nervously toying with one of his sweets. "Anyway, er, just take it." He scrounged around for a change in subject. "Let's go see Professor Lupin. He said something about getting a new creature in for us. Well, not for you. I mean, it's only for third years." Inwardly, Harry cringed at his prattling. "So, you want to go?"

Ginny knew exactly what he'd been about to say. She'd heard both her parents use the phrase before. It made her giddy inside to think that Harry just might be starting to like her. His awkwardness was so endearing. She grinned and took pity on him.

"Sure. Let me put this away first."

While she was gone, Harry gave himself a mental slap. What was wrong with him? Why that choice of words? Why had he gotten so flustered? He was only talking to Ginny, for Merlin's sake. Ginny's his best friend. And, seriously, what was up with that little odd feeling? He looked up just as Ginny came back into the common room, smiling. An answering grin spread across his face. Feeling comfortable again, he met her at the portrait hole.

On their way down, once they were alone enough to have a private conversation, Ginny broke the silence.

"It must be weird having to call him Professor."

Harry nodded. "I've almost slipped up a few times. Thankfully, his lesson of thinking before I speak has saved me." He muttered, "Or it usually has."

Again he felt the heat in his face and refused to meet her gaze. He relaxed when she said no more about what he'd almost said in the common room.

"If either of my oldest brothers came to teach while I was here, I don't think I could ever call them Professor."

"Exactly how many brothers do you have?"

"I have six."

Harry's brows shot up and he whistled. "Wow."

"Yeah. I love each one of them but they can seriously annoy me, especially when I was little. My two oldest brothers, Bill and Charlie, still sometimes treat me as if I was five."

"That's unfair."

Ginny nodded. "Tell me about it. Still, if I needed them, I know they'd be there for me."

"That's good. That's the way it should be."

Ginny continued speaking of her brothers, telling favorite stories that involved them. That took them all the way to Remus' office door. Harry knocked, opened the door enough to poke his head in.

"Hi." he called to his uncle.

"Harry?" Remus turned toward the door. "Come on in."

Harry entered the room, Ginny behind him. The two joined Remus in one of the corners of the office where a fairly good-sized tank stood filled with somewhat murky water and some kind of water grass that undulated with every pass the creature made.

"What is that thing?" Harry looked at the green, sharp toothed, horned, spindly fingered creature with distaste.

"That, Harry, is a grindylow."

"Where did you get it?" Ginny asked, apparently agreeing with Harry's opinion.

"This is actually a local specimen. It came from the Black Lake."

Ginny turned rounded eyes on her professor. "The Black Lake? Those things are in the Black Lake?"

Remus chuckled. "Yes, but not anywhere close to shore so you need not worry."

"If you say so."

Harry turned away from the hideous thing swimming around and around and wandered the office. Remus, too, turned from the tank, knowing Harry was thinking about their normal activities this day every year.

"Harry, are you up for a little trip?"

Harry whirled back around. Were they actually going to get to...? "Can we?"

"I've got it all arranged with Albus. He wasn't keen on letting you go, but I convinced him. We'll go after lunch."

Weak with relief, Harry nodded his acceptance. He had been afraid they'd be forced to miss their trip to Godric's Hollow this year. He enjoyed going to his parents' graves to "talk" to them, to tell them everything that happened to him in the past year. Morbid? Perhaps, but Harry didn't care. It was one of the few things that made him feel close to them, at least for awhile. He always looked forward to going and had an extremely hard time leaving afterward.

"Miss Weasley, would you care to join us?"

"What?"

"Ginny can come, too?"

Remus gave an affirmative nod. "It took a little more convincing, but I managed. It's up to her." Remus turned to one confused Weasley. "Every year, on this day, I take Harry to visit his parents' graves. We stay for a bit, have supper out somewhere, then go home. Would you like to join us?"

"Oh." Ginny didn't know what to say. Did they want her to go or were they just being polite? "Well, I don't want to intrude on anything personal."

"You wouldn't be." Remus watched Harry wander over to one of the windows. He said softly to Ginny, "Harry could really use a friend's support. When it's time to leave the cemetery, he has a hard time letting go of them again. Sometimes I wonder if I should even take him there each year."

"Of course I'll go. I'm honored. And Professor, I don't think it's a bad thing to take him."

Remus smiled. "Thank you for that. I knew I could count on you to help him."

Half an hour later, Sirius joined them. Remus closed the door and put up anti-eavesdropping wards.

"Sirius!" Harry greeted his godfather enthusiastically. "How did you get inside the castle?"

Sirius shrugged. "They still have the main doors wide open. I just walked in—as Padfoot, of course."

The light in Harry's eyes dimmed slightly. "I wish you didn't have to hide. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I know, kiddo, I wish I didn't have to, either, but until I find Peter, I'll always be viewed as the one responsible for your parents' deaths."

"Well, so what? What does it matter what they think?"

"I need my status as the last remaining Black restored. In order to have that done, I need to find Peter."

"What does your status matter?"

"Because, Harry, even though Remus has raised you, I am your godfather and if anything were to ever happen to him, I want to be able to step in and take care of you. I can't do that if my status isn't restored."

"But why hide?"

Sirius looked over to Harry's seemingly constant companion and smiled. "Because Peter's animagus form is a rat and I don't want to tip him off that I'm around before I find him."

Her eyes grew wide. "Is he here?"

"I'm not saying that. I'm just speaking in general."

"Oh."

The four chatted until lunchtime. Remus, Harry and Ginny stepped into the Great Hall while Sirius went in the opposite direction. To Harry, it looked weird to see the Hall so empty this time of day. Since their table was mostly empty, he and Ginny picked a spot where both could easily reach their favorite foods. Neither talked much; neither felt the need to fill the silence. Thirty minutes later they were meeting Remus at the main gate.

"How are we getting there?"

"By specially sanctioned Portkey so we have to leave the castle grounds before we can activate it."

"Sirius isn't coming?" Ginny asked softly.

"No, he decided with that other threat still lurking around, he'd best stay behind."

"Well, surely Professor Dumbledore can handle it."

"Yes, but Sirius could give Dumbledore time to react. He'd be an early warning system, if you will."

Harry grew scornful. "Probably doesn't want to face them. Too much of a coward."

"Harry," Remus said firmly, "Sirius may be a lot of things but he's no coward. This day isn't any easier for him than it is for you. We all grieve in our own ways. Don't judge him by what you would or wouldn't do."

Harry hung his head, properly chastised. "You're right. I didn't mean it. Do you think he's ever been to their graves?"

Remus cupped the back of Harry's head and pulled him into a quick hug. "I don't know if he has or not. For some, doing so is just more than they can handle."

Harry nodded and the three of them stepped outside the wards, touched the quill portkey and disappeared.


	8. A Wounded Heart Will Heal

"**_Don't be ashamed to weep; 'tis right to grieve. Tears are only water, and flowers, trees, and fruit cannot grow without water. But there must be sunlight also. A wounded heart will heal in time, and when it does, the memory and love of our lost ones is sealed inside to comfort us." __  
__― __Brian Jacques__, __Taggerung_**

The three reappeared in a wooded area a short distance from a little white church and its fenced cemetery. Opening the gate, Remus led them to the gravesites. Harry hung back to give Remus a little privacy, just as he did every year. Silently, he waited, gathering his thoughts and marveling at how much his life had changed in the last month and a half. A handful of minutes later, Remus stepped away and headed for the gate, signaling it was Harry's turn.

Harry sat facing the markers and patted the ground next to him, letting Ginny know it was okay for her to join him. Legs up, arms tucked under his knees, Harry rested his chin on his knees and was silent several minutes. He could feel his throat closing, his chest constricting. The tears were coming. Still a little embarrassed to be seen crying, he tilted his head so his cheek now rested on his knees and was facing away from Ginny. One by one, silent tears gave testament to the longing for the parents he never really knew and the utter sadness at the thought that he would never know them and they would never know him.

A gentle rub on his back broke his restraint. Burying his face against his knees, he quit pretending and let the tears come, purging his wounded soul for another year. So caught up in his grief, he didn't notice as Ginny's arm slipped around his back and her head lay on his shoulder, tears of her own slipping down her face. They sat for some time, Ginny lending her silent support to her grieving friend.

The tears spent, Harry lifted his head enough to look towards the markers. His raspy voice was barely audible as he finally spoke.

"Hey, Mum, Dad. It's that day again. Another year has gone by. I miss you. So much." Harry had to swallow a few times before he could continue. "Uncle Remus has been fine. A little lonely sometimes, though. I think that will change now that Sirius is back. Did he tell you?" He gave a teary chuckle. "Sirius lit into him for me being present at the last full moon. Sirius didn't know about me and had never heard of the Wolfsbane potion. Can you believe it? He said he'd been holed up in some middle of nowhere far away from England wallowing in his grief over you. He couldn't come because today because Greyback is prowling around Hogwarts."

Harry sniffled and he became aware of Ginny still quietly leaning against him. Her comfort was soothing so he did nothing to dislodge her.

"Did Uncle Remus tell you? I'm attending Hogwarts now. I didn't want to go and I got so mad at him for taking the teaching job Dumbledore offered him." Here he paused and inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. "I don't mind it there so much now. I kind of like walking the same hallways you both walked, taking the same classes, having the same teachers. It's helped me feel more connected to you. I've been in the trophy room and saw your names on the Head Boy and Head Girl plaques. And Dad, I saw your name on the Quidditch trophy. I didn't even know there was a trophy room until my friend, Ginny, showed me."

Harry felt Ginny's head lift from his shoulder and he tried to give her a smile before turning back to the graves.

"Yeah, I have a real friend now. Can you believe it? She knows. About me and Uncle Remus and about that other thing hanging over my head, and she doesn't care." Harry met Ginny's gaze. "She's really something. She's helped me more than I ever thought possible."

Turning back to the markers, he missed the tear that she quickly swiped away.

"She's even here with me. I think you both would have liked her. Mum, she kind of looks like you but her hair is a lighter color and her eyes are light brown. She has a temper, too, that I've had the misfortune to be on the wrong side of." That drew a chuckle from the girl beside him. "Dad, you would have liked her because she has a wicked sense of humor and loves pranks, especially ones that involve getting her twin brothers since they're the ones usually doing all the pranking. We haven't planned any pranks yet but the school year isn't over yet."

The sound of the gate opening and closing made the kids turn to see what was going on. Harry sighed in relief when he saw it was just the priest coming to talk to Remus. He dreaded the moment he was told it was time to leave. The moment hadn't come so he turned back around.

"Oh, Dad, guess what? I made my House Quidditch team. I've never played so I hope I'm not terrible. The first game is coming soon—against Slytherin. I play Seeker. By the way, I made Gryffindor. Sirius bought me a Firebolt which is a top-notch racing broom. I should let Ginny tell you all about it but she's glaring at me now so maybe we'll just skip it."

Footsteps came close and Harry tensed. As they moved off, he relaxed. From the corner of his eye, he could see someone else had come to visit a lost loved one.

"Charms and Potions are my two best subjects, other than Defense, naturally. With Uncle Remus teaching me Defense, I couldn't possibly be bad in it. History class is the worst. Binns is just teaching goblin rebellions. Care of Magical Creatures is kind of fun but the teacher is a little too fascinated with scary creatures. I mean, my text tried to attack me when I first got it." Ginny snickered. "It's not funny, Ginny. I'm lucky I didn't lose a finger to that thing before Uncle Remus showed me how to calm it."

Ginny's eyes danced with merriment and he felt that light tickle in his stomach again. Suddenly, he was quite aware that her arm was still around him, and just as suddenly, he realized it felt kind of nice. Clearing his throat, he turned back to his parents.

"Transfiguration is kind of fun. Professor McGonagall is tough but fair. Herbology is okay, I guess. We've been working with Puffapods. It's a sight to see all these pink pods hitting the floor and popping into flowers. Professor Snape is by far the worst teacher. Uncle Remus told me he was in your year at school and that you didn't get along with him. Well, Dad didn't. Snape doesn't like me, either. He's really mean and he doesn't teach anything, never explains why something is done in a particular way. Luckily, Mum, I inherited your Potions skills. He's a little less mean to me but not by much. He hates everyone but especially Gryffindors. He's so unfair I don't know how he's still teaching."

More footsteps. This time Harry recognized the pattern. The moment had come. What little bit of happiness he'd found, drained away.

"Not now, please? Just a little bit longer. Please, Uncle Remus?"

"I'm sorry, Harry, but it's time to go."

"But we haven't even been here that long. Please, Uncle Remus. I don't want to go yet. Please don't make me go yet."

"We've been here longer than you think," Remus sadly said. "We need to go. We'll stop and get something to eat and then head back to school. It wouldn't be good for anyone to realize the both of you are gone."

Harry's shoulders drooped and he morosely nodded his head. Tears pooled in his eyes again. He pressed his lips together in an effort to keep them at bay.

"Well, Mum, Dad, I guess I have to go now. I wish you were here." Barely above a whisper, he said, "I love you. I hope you're proud of me."

As he gained his feet, Harry kept his gaze on the ground, tears once again leaving tracks on his cheeks. Ginny pulled him into a hug and let him cry on her shoulder, missing the grateful look she received from Remus.

A few minutes later, Harry pulled himself together. He felt tired, numb. He gave a nod to say he was ready to go, still not looking at either of the other two. A hand slipped into his and Harry clutched it like a lifeline. A squeeze to his shoulder from Remus and the three were off to get something to eat.

At the pub they frequented every year, Harry picked at his fish and chips, only taking a bite here and there. Remus and Ginny carried on a little conversation, both sending concerned looks in Harry's direction. The meal finished, they stepped into a darkening alley and used the portkey back to Hogwarts.

The Halloween feast had just started so the Great Hall was noisy with student chatter. Ginny tugged on the hand that still grasped hers and pulled him away from the open doors. Her gaze met Remus' and then she looked up towards Gryffindor tower. Remus nodded in understanding, mouthed a thank you to her and entered the Hall.

The trek to the tower was silent and uneventful. Even the staircases seemed to understand the importance of them getting to the common room and so remained stationary. Ginny gave the password, pulled Harry inside and led him to the couch by the fire. She sat him down and sat beside him. He still hadn't released her hand and she made no move to break the connection.

A minute or two later, he leaned over and rested his head on her shoulder, staring into the fire. Voice still raspy, he finally broke his silence.

"I miss them so much. I know I shouldn't since I can't even remember them but I do. I have pictures of the three of us together and I have Uncle Remus' memories but I want _them._"

"Of course you should miss them, Harry," Ginny said softly. "They loved you and that's what you're missing, the love they gave you, their touch, their scent. You had all that at one time and now it's gone. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you shouldn't miss them."

Harry heaved a sigh. "I suppose. Thanks, Ginny, for everything."

"Glad I could help."

Harry yawned. He was done in but he didn't really want to move. He didn't think he had the energy left to climb all those stairs to reach his dorm. Another yawn he attempted to stifle with little success.

"Have a kip, Harry. Everyone is going to be busy for awhile."

"Hmmm. Maybe."

Ginny smiled ruefully when she heard his soft, even breaths. What a day it had been. It saddened her to know that every Halloween they'd celebrated Riddle's downfall while Harry had visited his parents' graves. It was a testament to his strength that he could deal with everything he faced. Leaning her head against the back of the couch, she let a few tears fall for the boy beside her. With her free hand, she swiped at the wetness, took a deep breath and settled in. She felt drowsy and figured a little sleep would be good.

0000000000

The portrait door opening and happy voices and laughter startled Ginny awake. She rubbed her eyes to help wake up. Harry hadn't moved. It didn't really surprise her. She knew exactly how it felt to be emotionally drained, every last bit wrung out of your heart. She'd refused, for awhile, to speak of the end of her first year at Hogwarts. When she finally had and had cried herself out, she'd felt so lethargic that all she'd wanted was to sleep. So, she let Harry sleep, despite the looks and the whispers or giggles she received.

"Ginny! There you are!"

Ginny looked over her shoulder at Hermione. "Hey."

Ron followed Hermione over, took one look at the scene on the couch and his expression darkened. "I thought I told him to stay away from you."

Ginny's eyes blazed with her temper. "And I thought I told you to shut up. You can't pick my friends, Ron. Now be quiet. Harry had a tough afternoon."

Ron snorted and sarcastically said, "If he wants to sleep, he can go to bed like everyone else. And, oh, yeah, really tough. I saw him in Hogsmeade. Tough village, that is."

"For your information, Ron," Ginny snapped back. "he spent maybe an hour in Hogsmeade. After lunch, while you were out playing and having fun and, no doubt, stuffing yourself, Harry was mourning the loss of his parents. Every year, he gets to go see his parents' graves. He spends a little time there and it's really tough on him so just back off."

Hermione looked strickened, pale, at what Ginny revealed. She even had tears in her eyes. Ron momentarily appeared chastened but then he grew angry again. His eyes narrowed.

"How do you know this?"

"Because he told me and because I was with him this afternoon."

"What? What do you mean you were with him? You can't just leave." Ron rolled his eyes, his voice scornful. "Naturally, _he _can just leave but you can't. Not without permission."

"And Dumbledore gave it. We had an escort, Ron. We didn't just leave by ourselves."

"What's all—"

"-the yelling about?"

Ron turned to his older brothers. "Ginny just told me she left the castle with Harry this afternoon. Can you believe that? I told him to stay away from her but he hasn't so what are we going to do about it?"

The twins looked at each other, looked at Ron, took in the scene on the couch: the clasped hands, Harry's pale complexion, Harry sleeping on Ginny's shoulder, looked back at each other and then turned to Ron.

"Why would we do anything about it?"

"What do you have against our little lost puppy?" Ginny's brows raised at the description so George explained. "We saw him in Hogsmeade. Looked so lost without you."

"Right," Fred agreed. "He was already on his way back when we saw him."

The twins' support of Harry seemed to anger Ron even further. "How can you say that? He's dangerous. He nearly hurt me just because I woke him up. What if it had been Ginny? Or some first year? I'm telling you, he's going to hurt someone."

"Rubbish, Ronald," Hermione jumped in. "Harry wouldn't hurt anyone."

Ron shook his head. "I can't believe you're so completely taken in by him. Then again, you were practically all over Lockhart. I can't believe my own family can't see what's in front of them."

"Oh, we can see it, alright."

"We can see that you, dear brother, need to leave before Hermione hexes you."

"Or Ginny," Fred added.

"Yes, or Ginny," George agreed.

"Or us."

"Most definitely."

Ron stalked off, muttering. The twins turned to Ginny. Fred asked what was on both of their minds.

"So, what happened today? He," Fred nodded in Harry's direction. "looks terrible. You don't look that great yourself."

Ginny smiled wearily. "Thanks for the support. Harry went to visit his parents' graves today, you know, since it's the anniversary of their deaths."

Fred winced. "Ouch. Didn't even think of that."

"Yeah, it's no wonder he looks so bad. I take it from what Ron said that you went with him?"

Ginny nodded. "I did. I was invited to go; Dumbledore gave his permission. It's a good thing I did, too. It was so hard on him."

"And, er," Fred waved a finger at their clasped hands, an eyebrow raised. "this?"

Ginny blushed but only a little. "Leaving was difficult. He didn't want to go, kept begging to stay a little longer. He was so sad when they couldn't stay I had to do something so I took his hand. He gripped it and hasn't let go yet. I'm not so sure he even realized what he was doing."

"Awwww. That's just so-"

"-sweet."

"But you don't mind, do you, Gin-Gin?" Fred softened the tease by giving her a wink.

Hermione nodded in response to Ginny's supposition. "You're probably right, Ginny. There's a very good chance he didn't know, but-"

"Way to kill the mood, Granger," George said, though playfully.

"I was about say," Hermione said with a huff, "that it's a good thing, I mean, think about it. Harry hasn't let many people in. He's very aloof with everyone but us. Ginny, you know more about him than any of us. He obviously treasures your friendship. He wanted you with him, needed your support at such a trying time. He trusts you. That's huge."

"You're right, Hermione. He did want me there. He does trust me. I'm just glad I could help. I can't believe we never thought about what he was doing on this day every year. We always were doing fun things and Harry...well, wasn't."

"Yeah, kind of puts things in perspective, doesn't it?"

Everyone nodded at that. Fred and George each took a seat in chairs grouped around the fireplace.

"So, what's the deal with Ron?"

"Yeah, why does he think our little lost puppy is so dangerous?"

Ginny resisted the urge to glance at Hermione. She knew the twins, as observant as they were, would catch the action and get suspicious.

"You heard him. That little incident he mentioned that happened. That's all."

"That?" Fred scoffed.

"I've done worse in pranks," George said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I think he's also jealous," Hermione added quietly.

"Jealous? Of what?"

"Well, Ron got a lot of attention because of his involvement with saving the Stone, getting all those points for Gryffindor and then helping expose Lockhart as a fraud. He's used to being the center of attention. Now Harry's here and the spotlight isn't on Ron anymore."

"But Harry doesn't want that attention," Ginny argued. "He's gone out of his way to attract the least amount of attention as possible."

"I know. I didn't say it made any sense. And honestly, with Harry being so reclusive, it kind of adds to the mystery that is Harry Potter. In the eyes of everyone else, that is. With the lack of knowledge about who he really is or where he's been, it kind of fuels the fire for gossip. The first years want to get to know Harry instead of Ron."

Ginny rolled her eyes in exasperation. "None of that is Harry's fault. Ron's just going to have to get over it. If he doesn't stop being a git soon, I'm writing home."

"Do you think Ron's written home to Mum already?"

Ginny's eyes widened in alarm. "I hope not." Then a look of pure stubbornness stole across her face. "I won't give up being Harry's friend."

"Calm down, Ginny," Fred soothed. "I'm sure it won't come to that. Gred and I will write Mum just in case. We'll be sure and add how much Harry's changed since he started hanging out with you."

There were times when she got so annoyed with her brothers and then there were times like these.

"Thanks, guys."

"Anything for our ickle Gin-Gin."

"And our little lost puppy."

Fred nodded. "That's right. Can't forget him, now can we?"

The two headed off to write the promised letter. Ginny looked at her friend and found the girl with a peculiar smile on her face.

"What?"

"Nothing. I just think it's so cute seeing you two like that. I know you like him as more than a friend, Ginny. Just know that a lot of boys his age don't look at girls that way or are only just starting to. What I'm trying to say is, don't get discouraged. It may just take time."

"No worries, Hermione. Harry's my best friend regardless. Nothing will ever change that."

0000000000

Harry raised his head off Ginny's shoulder, his neck feeling stiff.

"Sorry, Ginny." He winced and began massaging his neck.

"For what? Falling asleep?" She waved off his apology. "No big deal, Harry. You needed the rest."

"It's just...it seems like I'm either crying all over you or using you as a pillow."

"Don't worry about it, Harry. It's been an emotional time for you."

"I suppose." Harry looked around the mostly deserted common room. "What time is it?"

"It's ten o'clock."

Harry's gaze whipped around to Ginny. "Really?" He groaned at having slept for so long, moved to drop his head into his hands—and froze, staring at Ginny's right hand still clutched in his left. He could feel the heat burning its way up his neck, into his cheeks and the tips of his ears. Okay, now what? What should he do? If he yanked his hand back, her feelings might get hurt. If he left it there, she might get the wrong impression. He really _didn't _want to hold her hand—did he? No, of course he didn't. Then why did it feel kind of nice? Oh, that's right, because she slipped her hand into his back at the cemetery. She'd been offering her support, something he'd needed desperately at the time. _That's_ why he liked it.

"Harry?" Ginny's voice brought him out of his musings and his gaze zipped up to meet hers. "Are you hungry? You didn't eat much earlier." A growl from the vicinity of Harry's stomach answered her question. "I'm guessing 'yes'. Come on, let's get down to the kitchens and get you something to eat."

"I can go. I don't want you to get in trouble."

"I won't. Besides, I could use a little snack, too."

"Er, alright."

Harry let Ginny pull him up and instantly missed the contact when she took her hand back. Confused about his reaction, he stuck his hands deep into his pockets. The two snuck out and headed downstairs. Twice they were nearly caught by teachers patrolling the corridors. Once, Mrs. Norris chased them but they managed to get away down a side hallway. By the time they reached the portrait guarding the entrance to the kitchens, both were winded yet giddy at their success.

Inside the kitchens, it was surprisingly noisy. The elves were hard at work getting things ready for breakfast. One elf noticed the newcomers and came over.

"How mays I serve yous?"

"Harry missed supper. Is there anything left?"

"We's get it. Please sit."

The elf pointed to a table and Ginny led Harry there. Harry continued to stare at the pencil thin creatures before him. With their long and skinny or short and bulbous noses, huge eyes and floppy ears they looked like transfiguration spells gone wrong. He'd heard of house elves, of course, but had never seen one. Each one wore the same kind of tunic made with large blocks of colors from each House and the Hogwarts crest on the front. In no time time at all, one of the excitable creatures presented them with a tray of pumpkin juice, some fruits, and a dish of shepherd's pie. Enough for two.

"We's got more if this not being enough."

"Oh, it's plenty," Harry rushed to say. "Thank you. What's your name?"

The elf looked in awe at Harry. "The famous Harry Potter wants to know my name? Harry Potter is a great wizard, indeed. Harry Potter, sir, my name is Stippy."

Harry, a little embarrassed at the elf's gushing, cleared his throat a little. "Well, thank you, Stippy."

Stippy bowed deeply after putting his burden on the table then disappeared amongst the controlled chaos of the preparations. Ginny giggled and Harry turned to her.

"What?"

"I think you've made a friend for life, there, Harry."

"Hush, you," Harry grumbled but he smiled despite himself.

After eating their fill, Harry thanked them again causing quite a stir among several elves and slipped through the portrait door. Footsteps approached and Harry and Ginny panicked. There wasn't anywhere for them to go. Their only saving grace was that it was heavily shadowed just beyond the portrait. The two plastered themselves to the shadowed wall and all but stopped breathing. The hulking figure came into view and it was obviously Snape. If it had been anyone else, they might have been able to talk their way out of severe punishment but not so with Snape.

Then something peculiar happened. The wall underneath Harry's outstretched right arm vanished. He chanced a look and saw a long empty corridor. There was no telling where it went but at the moment Harry didn't care. As quietly and as quickly as he could he took Ginny's hand and backed his way into the new corridor pulling Ginny along with him. The instant the two of them were safely in the corridor the space before them closed and became a solid stretch of wall again. Both kids prodded and pushed on the wall to no avail. The opening simply wasn't there anymore.

"Okay, that's just weird."

"Yeah, but it got us away from Snape," Harry reasoned. "It was almost as if the castle was helping us."

Ginny looked down the dark hallway. "Well, I guess we have to see where it leads. We're not getting out the way we got in."

Harry agreed and lit his wand, Ginny lighting hers, as well. At the end of the hallway, the pair encountered some stairs leading upward. Exchanging "why not?" glances, they climbed the stairs. Several switchbacks later, they reached the top. Harry gave a hesitant push to the thing blocking their path and it swung open easily and, more importantly, silently. Harry stepped through the opening and looked at the object he'd pushed. It was a mirror. A rather large one. What was a mirror doing in one of Hogwarts' hallways?

Ginny stepped through the opening and gasped when she saw what Harry was studying. "Oh my goodness, Harry. We're on the fourth floor."

Harry turned his surprised gaze to Ginny. "How do you know that?"

"Because Fred and George told me there used to be a secret passageway out of the castle on the fourth floor behind a mirror but that it had caved in and was inaccessible."

Harry stared at Ginny, dumbfounded. He turned back to the mirror and let it swing back against the wall. After a moment, he pulled on the mirror again and, sure enough, the passage was still there.

"Wicked!" Harry said, giving an awed laugh. "It's like the castle reinvented the passageway."

Ginny laughed softly then yawned. "Come on, it's getting really late."

"Right."

Harry performed one last check on the passageway, it was still there, and then turned toward the main stairs.

"Out of bed, Harry?"

Harry and Ginny instantly froze, their hearts pounding. Then Harry realized it was Remus' voice and sighed.

"Uncle Remus, you scared me."

"Be glad it was me who caught you. What are you two doing out of bed?"

"Harry was feeling hungry so we went down to the kitchens to get something to eat. We almost ran into Snape but this corridor appeared and we took it."

"As soon as we did," Harry took up the story, "it blocked itself off again before Snape caught us. We followed it and climbed several staircases. It led us here. It's behind the mirror. Ginny said it used to be a way out of the castle but had collapsed."

"I guess the castle didn't like that too much and made another one but to the kitchens instead."

"Hmmm. Interesting. You were very lucky. It's late. I'll walk you back to the Tower. I'd be remiss in my duties if I didn't admonish you for sneaking out so consider yourselves admonished."

Harry couldn't hide his grin. "Okay."

No one else stumbled upon them and they said goodnight to their Defense professor. Once inside the common room, Harry gave Ginny a quick hug.

"Thanks, Gin, for today. It was a lot easier having you with me."

"I'll always be there for you, Harry, whenever you need me."

"Thanks. Er, goodnight."

"Goodnight, Harry."

0000000000

Classes went fairly well that week. Harry still hadn't had any success with the Silencing Charm but the rest of class was easy so he helped others. History of Magic was still dreadful. Care of Magical Creatures was—well, how could he describe it? Hagrid had introduced erumpets to the class, an animal that closely resembled the rhinoceros, except that its horn contained a deadly fluid that would make anything that connected with it explode. Seriously, what was the man thinking? Luckily no one had gotten hurt but it had been a close thing. Malfoy, as usual, was too busy spouting off about whatever and wasn't listening and nearly paid the price for it. Harry had grabbed the boy and pulled him out of the way of the enraged creature before it could take a good chunk out of him. It had been total reaction on Harry's part. Needless to say, Draco wasn't thrilled and made some snotty comment. Harry rolled his eyes and told the boy that next time he'd just let the creature have him.

Potions was a toss-up. One day it was horrible with Snape practically breathing down his neck just waiting for Harry to mess up. The next class, Snape left him entirely alone. No spiteful words, no cracks against Gryffindor, no looming, nothing. He didn't understand it but he wasn't about to complain either. He'd have thought, with the upcoming Quidditch match being against Gryffindor, the man would have been insufferable but he hadn't been for which Harry was thankful. He was nervous enough about the game as it was. He certainly didn't need Snape's bitter attitude to deal with, too.

Now here he was, sitting in the Great Hall at breakfast, waiting for Oliver to tell them it was time to head down to the pitch. Harry was so worried he couldn't eat but a bite or two. Ginny had to practically force feed him toast so he wouldn't get weak with hunger or so she said. He wasn't so sure. She had a certain gleam in her eyes, one he'd seen before when she was feeling mischievous, and one corner of her lips kept trying to curl upward. Honestly, he didn't mind. He found it rather nice to be touched by her and sometimes he even made it so she _would_ touch him. When he'd realized what he'd

been doing, he'd been shocked but after giving it some thought, he'd decided that it was just because his uncle had been the only one to touch him and have some true meaning behind it. The others, the "friends" he'd had, they'd touched him, yes, but there had been no real connection so he hadn't been affected the same way.

"Alright, team, listen up." Harry sat up straighter as Oliver Wood, the team captain, began to talk. "I usually save this for the locker room but I wanted to say it now. The weather isn't great but we'll manage. Fred, George, keep a good lookout for those Bludgers. I imagine Slytherin will be doing everything they can to disrupt our scoring."

"Aye aye, Captain," Fred said giving a crisp salute. George followed his brother's example.

"Katie, Angelina, Alicia, keep a lookout for the Bludgers and try not to get too close to the other Chasers. I'm sure they have some nasty tricks planned but they can't pull them off if you're not engaged with them, but still disrupt their flying as much as possible."

Three heads nodded. Oliver turned to Harry and smiled sympathetically. "Relax, Harry, that's the first thing. I need your incredible skills out there and I won't get them if you're too nervous to play. Your only job is to find the Snitch. Let us take care of everything else. Win or lose, doesn't matter. Just do what I know you can do. The rest will take care of itself."

Fred leaned toward Harry and stage whispered, "But you better catch the Snitch. I don't know that Oliver could take losing to Slytherin, especially since its his last year."

Oliver scowled but it didn't carry much weight. "I didn't say that."

George winked. "You didn't have to."

"Don't listen to them, Harry," Ginny comforted him, giving her brothers the evil eye. "Just go out there and fly. Don't over think it. Okay? Just fly."

Harry glanced at the hand she'd placed on his arm. There was that fluttering feeling, that warmth again. To his surprise, it calmed his nerves. He looked up into her amber eyes and a slow smile tilted his lips.

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

Ginny returned his smile. "Good." Her hand slid into his and squeezed before letting go. "Now eat something so you'll have the energy to fend off Malfoy."

"Right."

He dug into his eggs and sausages, while Ginny ate her own breakfast, both unaware of the shared knowing grins on the others' faces.

0000000000

"Hey, Scarhead, why don't you just quit and leave the game to someone who can play?"

Harry ignored the Slytherin like he'd done since the game had begun. The wind blew ridiculously hard at times making it difficult to hover in any one spot for longer than a second. The air temperature was dropping rapidly, too. He constantly had to let go of his broom so he could flex his fingers and try to get the blood flowing to them again. Fat drops stung as they hit his exposed skin. Then just as Harry looked up at the sky, the clouds let loose and rain soaked him almost instantly. He shivered as the cold wetness somehow managed to get under his uniform and ran down his back. Great. Just great. As if his job wasn't difficult enough, now he had to somehow see through the downpour.

Just as he was thinking that, a flash of gold caught his eye. It was the Snitch! A quick glance told Harry that Malfoy hadn't seen it. Lying against his broom, Harry dove, keeping his eyes on his prize, the wind roaring in his ears. Within a few feet of it, the Snitch jumped as if startled and zoomed off. Harry tried to follow but lost sight of it. He sighed and tried swiping the rain out of his eyes, which he quickly found to be a pointless endeavor. He could certainly have used—oh, he was so stupid.

Harry pulled his wand, mentally berating himself for not thinking of doing this before the game. As best he could tell, no Bludgers were coming his way so he removed his glasses and tapped them with his wand. Placing them back on his nose, he smiled. _Much_ better. Now he could at least keep his eyes open and see a few feet in front of him. Harry stowed his wand and began his search again.

Three hours later, the rain had stopped but he still hadn't found the Snitch. His breath puffed in small icy clouds with each of his exhales. His wet uniform chafed and his muscles cramped. He never thought he'd think this but he couldn't wait to get off his broom.

Another golden glint caught his eye about halfway across the pitch. The Snitch! Harry shot off after the tiny ball determined to catch it this time. It certainly did its best to elude him but, in the end, Harry caught it, finally ending the game. Gryffindor won 200-80! Harry couldn't believe it.. He'd won his first game! He hovered a second to drink in the cheering crowd, the chanting of 'Gryffindor' by his housemates. Looking over to the staff section, he could just make out Uncle Remus and a black form beside him. Sirius! Sirius had watched his game! He felt giddy. It certainly ranked as one of the happiest moments of his life.

Harry took off to join his teammates gathered at the pitch's center. Suddenly, someone collided with him and knocked him sideways off his broom. Using his fast reflexes, he just managed to catch his broom handle in one hand. Laughter from above him had him looking up. Malfoy flew away still laughing. Concentrating, Harry got his other hand on the broom and slowly pulled himself up far enough to slip a leg over it. Once back on his broom, he leaned forward and caught his breath, shivering in reaction to the near fall.

"Alright, there, H-Harry?" Fred asked, shivering from cold.

Harry nodded at Fred, teeth chattering. "Sure. F-f-fine."

"We came o-over as s-soon as we s-saw you in trouble," George added. "Should have known y-you wouldn't need any help."

"Thanks, guys. I wasn't so s-sure I'd make it, I'm s-so tired."

"Well, c-come on then. P-Party in the common room."

The twins took off. Harry followed but at a more sedate pace, letting his heart rate settle and his teeth stop chattering. He locked eyes with Remus and received a wink and nod. The black dog beside him jumped up and down, spun in a circle and barked excitedly making Harry laugh. He heard someone call his name. It had been Angelina, waving him over to the team for a group picture.

"There's the s-star of the team," she said when he joined them.

Harry's face immediately heated. "No, I'm not. I'm no more important than anyone else on this team."

"Yep, d-definitely in the right H-House."

Everyone laughed and the group photo was snapped. In the back of his mind, he couldn't help wondering if they'd still feel the same if they knew what he was. As he flew by the stands, he heard his name called again. Turning toward the sound, he saw Ginny jumping up and down and waving, her breath puffing out with each exhale. He made a beeline for her.

"Harry! You did it! I told you you could do it, didn't I?"

She started to throw her arms around him but Harry leaned away from her. "I'm still fairly damp, Ginny." He eyed her dry clothes. "You don't want to get your clothes wet. How exactly did you manage to stay dry anyway?"

"The stands have spells on them that keep the rain off. You couldn't tell?"

"Are you kidding? I could barely see two feet in front of me then. Wish they could have done that for the entire pitch."

"I'm not sure why they don't. Anyway, great job. Now go get out of those wet clothes. I'm cold. You _have _to be freezing. I'll meet you by the locker room."

"Yeah, okay. See you there."

In all honesty, Harry wasn't cold anymore, he was numb, his teeth had even quit chattering. He passed cold a long time ago. He got to the locker room and stiffly dismounted his broom. Retrieving his previous set of clothes, he headed off to take a nice long, _hot _shower.

0000000000

Sunday morning, Harry woke and groaned. He hurt—everywhere. His temples throbbed in tempo with his pulse. His nose was stuffed up, on one side, and dripped constantly—how was that even possible? Parched, he slowly got up, wincing as his muscles protested the action, swiped at his nose, coughed a little and retrieved a glass of water from the pitcher set up in their dorm room. He downed it quickly and refilled the glass, drinking it at a more leisurely pace. Grabbing several tissues, he used one to, again, swipe at his nose. Sitting back onto his bed, he took stock of how he felt. Aches? Check. A totally irritating nose? Check. Sore throat? Check. Cough? Check. Fatigue? _Double_ Check. Great. He'd managed to get sick. How wonderful.

Groaning again, he made to drop his head into his hands. _Drip. _Uggh. He sniffled and used another tissue. For a brief moment he thought about lying back down but decided against it. Maybe a hot shower would help. Grabbing what he needed, Harry sniffled and swiped his way to the showers.

The shower did help some. He felt a little more awake now. His headache dulled. His muscles were still a little stiff but he contributed that to his first quidditch game. He was bound to be sore, right?

Halfway down the stairs he had to prop himself against a wall while he sneezed and then coughed. He blew his nose and flinched a little at how raw his nose was getting already. Harry rolled his eyes. Figured. A few sniffles later, he finished descending the staircase.

Ginny and Hermione sat by the fire looking deep in discussion. Ginny happened to look up and immediately flew out of her chair.

"Harry!" Concern filled her eyes. She took in his reddened nose, pale complexion, watery eyes and slight spots of color on his cheeks. "You look terrible."

"Gee, thanks, Ginny," Harry tried to joke but his voice came out scratchy.

Ginny raised a hand to his forehead. "You're a little warm, too. You should go see Madame Pomfrey."

"Nah. I'm fine, Gin-," He turned away and sneezed. "-ny."

Exasperated, Ginny huffed, rolled her eyes. "Come on, then. Sit down before you fall down."

She muttered something about male pride but he didn't catch exactly what. Ginny led him to the wingback chair she'd vacated and pushed him into it. He lay sideways in the chair, his back against one of the "wings" and sighed.

"Harry, you really do look miserable."

"Thanks, Hermione," Harry sarcastically replied. "Just what I always wanted to hear."

"Sorry."

Harry waved off the bushy-haired girl's apology and sniffled then coughed. "I'm joking, Hermione." He, sniffled again. "Why are you two up so early? Well, maybe the better question would be why Ginny is up so early?"

Ginny shrugged. "Just couldn't sleep any longer. I do have days when I get up early."

Harry's brows shot upward but he, perhaps wisely, kept his mouth shut.

"Okay," Ginny acknowledged, "so it doesn't happen often."

She paused and continued to watch him. Even to Harry's momentarily sub par observational skills he could tell she had something on her mind.

"What are you thinking?" She shrugged and turned her gaze to the fire. "There's something on your mind. What is it?"

"There's something she wants to ask you but doesn't know how to."

"Hermione!"

"Well, now you have to ask it. I did you a favor, Ginny. I'm going down to breakfast and then going to the library."

The girl walked away but neither Harry or Ginny really acknowledged her. Ginny stared back at the dancing flames in the hearth. Harry watched her, waiting, knowing she'd ask whatever it was when she was ready to ask it. Minutes ticked by, the only sounds in the room being Harry's sniffling or coughs and the fire's crackling. Then she took a deep breath and turned to Harry.

"I need to go back to the Chamber of Secrets. I need to face what happened so I can truly put it behind me. I need you to go with me."

"Of course, I'll go with you. Where is-" He sneezed twice. Sniffled. "Sorry. Where is it?"

"The entrance is in a loo on the second floor. No one ever uses it. Moaning Myrtle likes to hang out there."

"Moaning Myrtle?"

"She used to be a student here but when the Chamber was opened by Riddle, he set loose a basilisk and it killed her. She's haunted that bathroom ever since."

"A basilisk? Now I really wish I'd been here. I could have talked to it or something."

Ginny had been staring into the hypnotically dancing flames but turned fiercely to Harry when he spoke.

"Or gotten yourself killed. We've been over this. I'm glad you weren't here. No one got hurt this time and Riddle was stopped. That's what matters. But I still want to go back there. I can't go down the second floor corridor, can't pass that loo without thinking about it. I want to face it."

"Alright, I get it." Sniffle. Sniffle. Cough. Sneeze. Sniffle. "Let's go now."

"What? No. I didn't mean _now_. You're not well. It can wait."

Harry stood and tried to grin but was sure he failed. "Come on, no time like the present. Most everyone is still sleeping."

"Harry, it can wait."

"Fine. Stay. I'm going down there."

Ginny sighed in exasperation. "Fine. You're going to need your broom."

Harry turned back to her and smiled. "Be right back."

Ginny watched him shuffle up the stairs and shook her head. She'd been thinking about doing this for awhile now and had mustered the courage to ask Harry this morning to take her down there but she'd gotten one look at him when he'd come into the common room and knew she had to put it off. In her opinion, he should have stayed in bed. He looked so tired. She was positive he was running a mild temperature. She shook her head again. Boys.

Footsteps on the boys' stairs drew her attention. She hoped it wasn't someone else coming down. The footsteps paused. Four sneezes echoed down the stairwell telling her exactly who it was coming down the stairs. Guilt weighed her down. He really wasn't in any condition to be doing much of anything. He looked ready to drop when he'd stood up just a few minutes ago. How in Merlin's name would he make it down to the second floor and into the Chamber? Another pause was followed by more sneezing, a soft groan and a bunch of sniffling and that was followed by a few coughs. She couldn't do this. Not now. Harry was just too sick.

Harry reappeared with his broom and headed for the portrait hole, trying to pretend he didn't feel like he'd been trampled by a herd of thestrals. He realized she wasn't following and turned back.

"What's wrong?"

"Harry," she started to anxiously say but he guessed what she was going to say.

"How about a broom ride in the castle?"

"Er, what?" He totally undermined her determination to get him to stay.

"A broom ride. To be honest, I'm not looking forward to all those stairs. There's not much of anyone out and about yet. We can probably get away with it."

Her mischievous streak kicked in and she grinned. "Do you think so?"

He returned her grin. "Let's find out."

It was tricky navigation, especially with the both of them on the broom, but he got them down there—and without sneezing. Small victories. Harry stared at the door clearly marked.

"You didn't say this was a girls' loo."

"_Was_ a girls' loo, Harry. Like I said, no one uses it anymore."

She took a steadying breath, let it out slowly and opened the door. Harry, feeling odd entering a girls' loo, even if said loo was out of order, followed her in. A giant hole in the floor outlined by sinks took up a good portion of the floor. He looked over to Ginny. She looked a little pale but seemed okay. She looked at him and shrugged.

"I guess Myrtle is out right now. Lucky you."

Her gaze returned to the hole in the floor. Harry walked over to a gap between the sinks and peered over the edge into the darkness. His nose dripped and he hastily gave it a swipe with the crumpled tissue he had in his hand, hoping she hadn't noticed. He gave a low whistle.

"How far does that drop?"

"Not too far before it curves. It's a giant pipe. It twists and turns and then spits you out where the Chamber is."

Harry nodded, pulled his wand and lit it. "Are you ready?" She nodded. "Alright. See you down there."

He stepped into the emptiness and vanished. Like she'd told him, he twisted and turned as he sped downward. He was glad he hadn't tried to ride his broom. He doubted he would have made it. He streaked through a number of slimy, wet, smelly patches before hitting the floor and rolling, stirring up dust and the bones of long-eaten animals.

Harry looked around the room he'd landed in. He felt a sneeze coming but then the tingle faded away. Good. He was tired of sneezing and having his head throb, anyway. He coughed instead which was just as bad. A minute later Ginny popped out the end of the pipe. She stood and lit her own wand.

"Sorry I forgot to mention how disgusting the trip down here is."

Harry shrugged. "Clothes will clean. Lead the way."

She did and after a bit of walking they came upon a set of metal doors with a circular groove in the middle of the doors, half of the circle on each door. Inside the groove were several carved snakes.

"It's a kind of lock," Ginny told him. "He made me use Parseltongue to open it."

"Ah, now I see why you wanted me along."

Ginny turned sharply to disavow him of that notion and saw his grin. "Prat."

Harry turned back to the doors, trying his best to ignore the sneeze that once again threatened. He sniffled a few times hoping that would keep the urge at bay.

"Are you sure you want to hear this?" he asked her. "I don't want to bring up any bad memories."

"Just do it, Harry."

"Right."

He tunneled his vision to only the snake carvings, imagined them slithering about. He had to reach that fine line between clear and unfocused vision, had to believe the snakes were real in order to gain access to the Parseltongue lodged in his brain. It wasn't until he heard the grind of metal on metal and the clicks of locks being undone that he realized he'd even spoken. His vision clear again, he shot a glance at Ginny. She must have read his expression because she gave a little smile.

"I'm okay, Harry. It doesn't sound nearly as creepy when you do it."

"I'm glad."

The doors opened and Harry got his first look at the Chamber and the giant body of the dead serpent.

"Whoa. That thing is huge."

"Don't get too close to it. It's venom is still deadly."

Harry let Ginny enter the Chamber first. She wanted to face what happened to her so he'd let her take all the time she needed. He stayed by the door while she walked further into the cavernous room. Curiosity eventually got the better of him and he went over and studied the nearest of the giant snake carvings that lined the main walkway. He tried to be quiet but his stupid cold wouldn't let him. He quietly sniffled trying his best not to sneeze again. When he couldn't hold back any longer, he leaned against the snake statue and sneezed into his elbow, he was out of clean tissues now, as quietly as he could so as not to disturb Ginny. No such luck. His sneezes echoed around the room, especially that last one, having been louder than the other three. Ugggh. Sniffle. This could stop any time now. He sniffled a bit more.

"Harry?"

He waited a moment to see if any more were coming. There was still a tickle but, for now, it wasn't enough to bother him. Mustering up the energy, he pushed away from the statue, left his broom by the entrance and joined her in front of a giant stone face.

"Right here."

Where she stood, an inky stain marred the ground. She studied him a minute, sadness clouding her eyes. Harry hadn't a clue what she was searching for.

"What?"

She looked down at the spot. "This is where I was. Right here. I lay right here while he drained away my life."

"Ah, Ginny, I'm so sorry."

She swallowed, gave a miniscule shrug. "It's okay. Dumbledore got me in time. He killed the basilisk and destroyed the diary that Tom Riddle attached a memory of himself to."

"How did he know? Dumbledore, I mean."

"Hermione and Ron. Together, they somehow figured it all out and went to Dumbledore."

"Wow. That's amazing." He shook his head. "Absolutely incredible."

"Yeah. Needless to say, I had a really hard time walking down the second floor hallway for the rest of the year. Thankfully, it was only a couple of weeks. That's why I wanted to come down here. To see it as it is now."

Harry nodded in understanding. "To replace how you saw it before, I get it. I don't blame you. I'd want to, as well."

Harry walked over to the face's wide open mouth and peered in, shining his wand into it. "Wow, it's bigger than I thought in there."

Stowing his wand, he climbed up into the mouth which, in his weakened state, was much more difficult than it would have normally been. Relighting his wand he walked farther in the room he found himself in.

"This is amazing. Ginny, would you like to see this?"

"Er, I guess so. What did you find?"

Harry returned to the edge of the mouth and, praying his nose didn't decide to run again, knelt down and reached out a hand for her to grab. The edge wasn't overly far off the ground but tall enough that she would have had a hard time pulling herself up. She took his hand and he hauled her up over the giant stone lip. That act left him feeling fairly weak but he forced himself to stand and walk off toward what he'd seen. Harry knew she felt bad already for bringing him down here while he wasn't feeling great; he could see it in her eyes. He was determined to not add to it.

All around the room, where the giant serpent had made its nest, lay various trinkets, snapshots from time. Books, coins, parchments, hair ties, mirrors and so much more. The basilisk had apparently amassed quite the collection. Impressive considering how little it had been allowed in the school. Ginny wandered the room, picking through things here and there. Harry wandered the other side, also randomly sifting through the treasure trove. Just enough light flickered around the room from somewhere to see by.

"Hey, Harry, check this out! How do you think Salazar Slytherin would have felt about seeing this down here?"

Harry looked up in time to see something arcing its is way toward him. Reacting instinctively, he caught it one-handed and immediately hissed in pain, dropping the object and grabbing his hand..

"Harry?" Ginny came running over. "What's the matter?"

Harry experimentally closed his hand and reopened it. It hadn't burned him too badly. Ginny watched his motions, saw the brooch she'd tossed to him now lying at his feet. Her eyes widened and she took his hand in hers, looking closely at the skin of his palm and fingers, saw the redness there.

"Oh, my goodness, Harry. I'm so sorry. I didn't know it was silver."

"It's okay, Ginny. I know you didn't. No harm done; I didn't have it long enough."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

She gave him a long searching look. Harry fought to keep his expression neutral. His hand did actually sting a fair bit. That tickle in his nose came back with a vengeance. Oh, please, not now. Not when she looked to be a single sniffle away from hauling him back to his broom and flying him up to the castle. He took to breathing through his mouth hoping the smaller amount of air in his nose wouldn't be enough to set him off. She must have decided to take him at his word as she gave him a nod and picked up what she'd tossed to him.

"Look, it's a Gryffindor brooch."

"That's weird." Harry traced the shape of the brooch with his finger hovering an inch above the piece of jewelry. "Who'd have made one in silver? Silver is Slytherin's color."

"Exactly. Wonder how long it's been down here."

Harry gave the room a cursory glance. "I'd say a very long time."

"Yeah. All the books and parchments look to be from when Riddle let it out. The rest look older. We should tell Dumbledore this is here. Who knows what kind of historical documents or artifacts are here."

"Good idea."

They separated again to get a mental catalog of the objects in the room. As Harry sifted through the things, using his wand to move things that were silver in color, the urge to sneeze got more urgent, not to mention the need to cough. He did everything he could to avoid it. He sniffled, lightly. He rubbed at his nose. He still breathed through his mouth which irritated his throat. Nothing helped. He scooted over to another pile, his left knee on the ground, his other leg bent with the foot flat on the ground. His limbs felt heavy. His supply of energy was running out but he was too interested in what he was doing to stop now. His nose had other ideas.

At the first muffled sound, Ginny looked up. At the second, she looked across the room. He was sneezing again, though doing his best to hide the fact. The third had her standing and crossing over to him. She tugged on his sleeve.

"Come on, Harry, we're going."

"But I haven't-" He pointed at the other piles and sneezed again. "-finished yet." Sniffle.

"You're finished."

He sneezed a fifth time. She felt his forehead again and frowned. He was a little warmer than he had been, but then again it could be because he'd been busy. A sixth sneeze and its follow-up sniffle and cough had her pulling him to his feet.

"Come on. You need to rest. We'll let Dumbledore know what we found."

"Yeah, alright."

His easy acquiescence concerned her. From what she'd learned of him, he rarely gave up so easily. She took his uninjured hand and led him back to the opening.

"Can you make it back down?"

At his nod, she slipped over the edge of the mouth, landing, cat-like, on her feet. Turning around, she looked up to Harry, not liking what she saw. The two spots of color in his cheeks had become more pronounced as his complexion paled. He looked more asleep than awake. Harry slipped over the lip, landed on his feet and fell to his hands and knees, breathing heavily.

Ginny's small hands wrapped around his arm. "Come on. Just a little bit farther. We'll get your broom. You don't even have to fly it. I'll do that."

She got him to his feet and got him to his broom. She mounted the broom rather awkwardly since she was trying to hold Harry upright, too. Finally in position, she got Harry behind her and, using one hand to keep his arms around her, she certainly didn't want to lose him off the back of the broom, and navigated her way, with several mishaps, back up the pipe and into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

She stopped long enough to open the door and then flew Harry straight to Professor Lupin's quarters, passing several groups of students pointing at them. By the time they got there, Harry's head had drooped onto her back. At Remus' door, she dismounted, helped Harry off the broom and propped him up against the wall. She knocked as urgently as she could.

The door opened and Remus smiled. "Miss Weasley, it's nice to see you. How can I help you?"

"It's not me who needs it but Harry."

She reached for her friend but he pulled away. "I'm fi-" Before he could finish, he sneezed again. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not, Harry, so shut it," Ginny snapped at him.

Remus beckoned them inside. Ginny took hold of Harry's arm and led him to the couch where he practically fell onto it and rested his head on the couch's arm. Feeling a hand on his forehead, he opened eyes he hadn't realized he'd closed. Remus was peering down at him, concern written all over his face.

"I'm fine, Uncle Remus," he muttered. "Just tired."

His eyelids felt so heavy and he no longer had the energy to fight their closing so he let them do as they wanted and drifted off into sleep.

"Will he be okay?" Ginny asked. "Oh, I knew we should have waited. This is all my fault."

Remus turned a questioning gaze to the girl. "Your fault? Of course it isn't. These things happen. Harry doesn't get sick often but when he does he usually gets hit hard. By no means is this your fault."

"You don't understand. I asked Harry to take me down there so I can put everything to rest for good. I knew he was sick and I tried to get him stay in the common room but I really wanted to go down there again while I still had the courage to do it so I didn't try too hard to get him to stay."

Remus pulled the girl into a hug and rubbed her back. "Come sit at the table and tell me everything."

While Remus got a pillow and blanket for Harry, Ginny told her professor of what she and Harry had been doing that morning. Remus slid the pillow under Harry's head, slipped the boy's glasses off his nose, then spread the blanket over him. He felt Harry's forehead one last time before stepping into his little kitchen area and began making tea.

"All that stuff was just lying there, huh? Sounds like quite the treasure trove. You missed breakfast. Are you hungry?"

"I am, actually. I'm surprised I didn't notice sooner."

Remus gave her a smile and called for a house-elf. One appeared, heard the professor's request, bowed and vanished. A few moments later two plates of food appeared on the table along with a pitcher of juice. Remus pushed one plate toward Ginny and took the other to the counter.

"Eat. I'm going to call Madame Pomfrey."

"He's that bad?"

Remus shook his head. "Nah, he'll be fine, I think. He gets hit hard but it never lasts very long. However, we have to keep up certain appearances. I'm sure you were seen coming to my door and I was seen letting you in. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a lot of speculation about that. Madame Pomfrey will provide a bit of a cover story."

Ginny winced a little at that. "I'm sorry. I didn't think about that. I just wasn't sure I was going to keep Harry on the broom long enough to make it to the Hospital Wing."

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad you came to me." Mischief sparkled in his eyes. "We just need to get together again when Harry's not dog tired, pardon the pun."

Ginny snorted at his joke and watched as the professor stepped over to Harry and removed her friend's shoes and tucked the end of the blanket around Harry's feet. She could easily see the love he had for Harry. It was in the little things, things her mum had done for her on many occasions. The pillow for Harry's head. The removal of Harry's shoes. The tucking of the blanket tightly around Harry's sound asleep form. The man had removed Harry's glasses for him and she knew he'd checked Harry's temperature at least twice so far.

She watched him connect to the nurse's fire, talk a handful of seconds then back up. Remus re-entered the kitchen, set Harry's glasses on the table and poured the tea, giving one cup to Ginny.

"She's on her way down even though there's not much she can do. That way people will see her come to my door with some potions in hand. A lot less speculation."

"Why can't she do anything? A Pepper-Up potion should help a lot."

"If you take it early enough, then yes, it would help. However, Harry's gone full-blown, so to speak, so now he just has to deal with the symptoms. Besides, the Pepper-Up never seemed to help him much, anyway."

Remus stared into his tea and sighed. "I should have expected this would happen, really."

Ginny got a look of mild annoyance on her face. "How's that? You just told me that Harry rarely got sick. How were you supposed to anticipate this?"

"All the stress he's been under combined with the cold weather..." Remus shrugged. "That downpour yesterday certainly didn't help. It's been awhile since the last time Harry was sick so I should have figured it would be happening soon. He was due."

The Defense professor gave Ginny a smile and changed the subject. "Anyway. Eat before it gets cold."

Ginny shrugged. "You could always heat it back up."

Remus laughed. "I suppose I could, at that. You are just as cheeky as those brothers of yours."

"Yeah, I've been told I'm the third twin."

"Hmm. Then maybe I'll be seeing some of your handiwork in the prank department soon."

A knock at his door signaled the arrival of the nurse. Remus let her in, first stopping by Harry and feeling his forehead again. The matron waltzed straight to Harry and waved her wand over him, nodding absently at something only she could see. She flicked her wand toward Harry's reddened palm, healing the burn. She canceled her spells and sat at the kitchen table with the other two.

"You were right, Remus. It's just a cold. You know how he is when he does actually come down with something. It lays him out."

"I know, Poppy. We needed some kind of cover story, anyway."

"Yes and I'm happy to oblige. Do watch his temperature. He's got a mild fever. If it gets worse let me know."

Two sneezes, several sniffles, a cough and a change in position came from the couch and Remus winced in sympathy. "I will. I don't see him getting better before tomorrow."

"No," Poppy agreed. "that's definitely not likely. I'll get in touch with his professors at breakfast and let them know he's ill. We'll see how he's doing tomorrow before we decide anything else. Let him sleep as much as he wants right now; it'll do him the most amount of good. When he's ready to eat, give him whatever he feels like having. Just make sure he's getting fluids."

Poppy removed a few vials of a greenish-yellow, somewhat thick potion from the holder she'd carried down from her ward and handed them to Remus.

"Nutritive potion. He may not feel like eating much today or tomorrow. If that's the case, give him these twice a day. If asked why he's here and not in one of my beds, I'll just declare him too sick to move at this time, that Ginny had been closer to your quarters than to my ward. That would be the truth."

"What if I'm asked how I even know where Professor Lupin's quarters are? What do I say?"

That question had Remus scratching his head. The nurse came up with a viable solution. "You saw him leaving one early morning and just assumed it was his quarters."

"Nice and simple," Remus nodded.

"The best lies usually are," Ginny said, a hint of mischief in her eyes.

"Yes, I have to agree with you, there. Something Sirius never quite caught on to."

Madame Pomfrey rolled her eyes. "Merlin, that boy could spin the tales. I'm not sure I ever got a straight answer out of him the entire time he was in school." Her expression softened with her memories. "James, though. He was different. He learned the 'nice and simple' rule of thumb fairly quickly. That one could reduce anything into one or two reasonable explanations." She let out a sad sigh. "Harry is nearly an exact copy of his father, physically speaking. It's uncanny."

Remus let out a little chuckle. "I remember when Harry was about 10 months old, Lily was so upset because Harry had inherited James' unruly hair. I remember James reminding her that Harry had gotten her eyes." His expression turned rueful, his voice grew quiet. "They loved him so much. I wish it didn't have to be me who's had to raise him."

_A knock came on his door and Remus went to open it. It had been a full moon the night before and he was feeling pretty poorly. Dumbledore stood there, Hogwarts' nurse beside him. In her arms was Harry, sleeping peacefully._

"_What's going on?" he asked, suddenly wide awake._

"_Something happened last night, Remus," Dumbledore sadly said. "May we come in?"_

_Remus let them in and they sat by his fireplace. "Why is Harry here, with you? Where's James and Lily?"_

"_They're gone, Remus. I'm sorry. Voldemort found them last night. Somehow, Harry survived."_

"_Oh, Merlin, no," Remus whispered. He closed his eyes a moment, forced himself to not cry._

"_Voldemort had werewolves with him. They attacked the village."_

"_Why?"_

"_I don't know, but Remus," Dumbledore paused and looked at Harry. He turned sad blue eyes to the man before him. "Harry was bitten."_

"_What?! No!"_

_Now Remus did cry. Sweet, innocent Harry had been cursed. Was there any fairness in this world? He wanted to rage at the injustice. Was it not enough that James and Lily were now gone leaving Harry orphaned? Did Fate have to be so cruel? Would Harry even survive his first transformation? He was so young._

"_We brought him to you, Remus, to raise him."_

"_What? What about Sirius? He's Harry's godfather."_

"_Harry would benefit from being with someone like him. When Sirius found out about James and Lily, he took off, vowing to go after Peter. I haven't found him. I hope he doesn't do anything, but I can't be certain. That's why we've brought Harry to you. Will you take him in? Will you guide him and tell him everything he'll need to know?"_

_It was on the tip of Remus' tongue to refuse until Harry woke up and turned Lily's green eyes onto him._

"_Unc' 'Emus," Harry babbled, leaving off the L and R sounds as usual. He reached for the only familiar face in the room._

_Looking at Harry, Remus found he couldn't do it. He couldn't turn away his best friend's son. One thing bothered him, though._

"_What about during the full moon? I can't help him. I don't even know if he'll survive the change. As far as I know, no one that young actually has."_

"_We won't know for sure until next month but Harry is special so I'm thinking he will. I'll be here to lend support during the transformation," Poppy spoke for the first time. "I'll stay with him until you're able."_

"_That's too dangerous."_

_Poppy shook her head. "Not anymore. There's a potion that's been tested with absolute success that erases the dementia associated with the transformation. Your mind stays human and you remain in complete control. It just has to be taken each day of the week leading up to the full moon. If you both take it, there won't be a problem."_

"_Why haven't I heard of this potion before?"_

"_Because it's just recently been discovered and we're still getting the word out about it."_

"_I don't know. Are you sure it would work?"_

"_Positive, but if you'd like we can experiment. You both take the potion. I can erect a barrier if I need to, not to mention, stun you until I'm in a safe room. Are you willing to try?"_

"_It sounds too good to be true." _

_When Remus hadn't taken Harry, the toddler began to cry, fat tears slipping down his chubby cheeks. Remus looked at Harry again. _

"_Yes, I'll try it. Harry needs someone and if Sirius is gone, hellbent on revenge, then it falls to me. I don't have much money, though."_

"_That will be taken care of," Dumbledore said. "You need not worry. So, you'll take him?"_

"_Yes, I will." _

_Remus took the child into his arms and cradled the boy against his chest, the small head falling onto one of his shoulders. Tiny arms wound around Remus' neck. Holding little Harry filled him with the determination to do the absolute best he could. Yes, he was devastated at the loss of his friends, and more than likely he would have slipped into a depression and withdrawn from life, but now he had a sense of purpose, someone _needed_ him._

"_I'll do my best," he vowed._

"Remus, you okay?"

Remus' memory faded and he found his companions looking concerned. "Sorry. I'm fine. I was just thinking of the day after...when Harry was brought to me. I swore I'd do the best I could."

"And you've done a fine job of it so far," Poppy consoled him.

Ginny added her agreement to that sentiment by nodding. Remus looked over to the girl who seemed to be gaining in importance to his best friend's son.

"Let me show you something."

Going over to one of his shelves, he picked out a picture album and took it back to the table. He found the picture he wanted, one of himself, James and Sirius in their third year, and spun the book for Ginny to see. She took a look and gasped in surprise. Taking the book from her professor, she studied the photograph.

"Oh my goodness. Harry _does _look just like his dad. That's just too weird."

She flipped backward through the book and discovered that, before the pictures of the three friends, before pictures of James and Lily, and before all the pictures of a young Harry, which she enjoyed looking at immensely, starting when Harry was eleven years old, there was an older picture in the upper left corner of the page and a newer picture in the lower right corner. The pictures took up most of each page. She looked closely at the two, comparing them, taking in all the little details.

"Apparently the resemblance didn't just start, either," she quipped.

"No, it certainly didn't. And that's not the only resemblance."

Ginny didn't catch on to his remark, too busy flipping through the photo album. Poppy smiled at Remus, knowing exactly what he meant, then stood. "I should be getting back. Let me know if you need me."

Remus walked her to the door and let her out. He turned back, checked on Harry and returned to the table. Looking at the clock, he was surprised to see the morning gone.

"Ginny, it's lunchtime. You should get to the Great Hall. It wouldn't do for you to be here in my personal quarters too much. People may start to talk."

"People can mind their own business," she retorted, "but yeah, okay. I do have some homework to finish. I'll come by again in a little while."

"Sounds good."

Remus opened his door, noted several students who'd been walking by doing a bad job of trying not to stare and eavesdrop.

"Thanks, again, for bringing Harry by. As sick as he is, I seriously doubt you would have made it all the way to the Hospital Wing with him."

"You're welcome, Professor," Ginny replied, playing along. She'd seen the same group of students. "I'm just glad I caught you."

She gave him a little wave and walked away.


	9. A Father's Protection

_I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as_**  
**_the need for a father's protection._**  
**_- Sigmund Freud_

Harry slept most of Sunday. He slept right through Ginny's visit before supper. He slept most of Monday, too, waking long enough to take his dose of Wolfsbane potion and a Nutritive potion. Lunchtime he ate a few bites of a turkey sandwich before curling up, this time on the spare bed, and sleeping some more.

Tuesday, he was awake more, ate a little more but still tired easily. His throat still hurt making the Wolfsbane potion burn a little more than usual. His joints decided to join his muscles in their protest of movement, making Harry really wince and moan whenever he moved. He still hadn't managed to lose that tingling in his nose responsible for his practically constant sneezing. He mostly sat around and read when he wasn't sleeping.

By Wednesday, Harry was feeling more energetic. The low-grade fever he'd had went away. Now if he could just stop sneezing! Hermione came by when she could to give Harry any new assignments and picked up his completed work. Ginny stopped in when she could in between classes and for a little while after supper.

Thursday, Remus made him go to his classes. Harry grumbled about his uncle's timing and having the first class he attended this week be Potions but it didn't dissuade Remus. The two downed their doses of Wolfsbane and Harry left. The good and kind of funny thing was that wherever he walked, everyone gave him plenty of room. He guessed they didn't want to catch his cold. He couldn't blame them. He didn't want it, either. He would have gladly given it away. It was just funny to see them split around him as much as space allowed.

His nose was tingling again. Great. And with Potions being a double class this morning there was no way he could hold it off that long. Ugh. He really despised being sick. Stepping into the dungeon classroom, he took the table he'd been sitting at and unpacked his cauldron and Potions kit. A few minutes later, Ron, Hermione and Neville came in.

"Harry!"

Hermione practically squealed upon seeing him. She dumped her stuff at her adjacent table and gave him a hug.

"It's good to see you back in class."

"I just wish it didn't have to be this one. _Someone_ has a twisted sense of humor."

"Well, the sooner you get back into the routine, the better off you'll be."

"Yeah." Sniffle. "I know. Doesn't make it any nicer, though."

Neville shared Harry's table setting up to his left. "You sure you want to be this close to me? Not afraid you'll catch something?"

Neville shrugged. "Nah. That's what Pepper-Up is for. A simple trip to Madame Pomfrey would take care of it. Why didn't you go see her?"

"It came on so suddenly, it wouldn't have done me any good." Harry sniffled and rubbed his nose. It only made the tickling worse. "Besides, for some reason, it's never helped me much."

"Odd."

"That's what _I_ thought," Harry agreed.

Snape swept in the room and stopped the instant his black eyes found Harry. "Well, looks like Potter has decided to finally join the rest of us commoners."

The greasy-haired professor continued to the front of the room and stood beside his chalkboard. A tap of his wand revealed the potion they were to work on. Harry nearly groaned aloud. The potion required powdered moonstone—a powder so fine it tended to linger in the air. What was worse, Snape wanted them to create their own powder instead of using any that had been bottled. He was seriously doomed. And by the expression in the professor's eyes, the man knew it, couldn't wait for the moment to yell at Harry.

Harry practically held his breath the entire time he was crushing his moonstone. Some Slytherin thought it funny to blow at Harry any collected moonstone dust from his tabletop. On more than one occasion, Harry had to stop what he was doing, certain he was about to lose his private battle. Then, he finally did lose the battle. Snape was in the middle of warning the class of the necessity of getting the second part of the potion correct. Arm on the table, Harry buried his face and did his best to smother the sound.

Snape jumped on the opportunity he'd been waiting for. "Potter! Pay attention to what you're doing or you're going get an explosive potion. Or maybe that's what you're trying to do. Are you, Potter? Are you trying to explode your cauldron?"

Harry tried really hard not to let the second one loose. _Don't. Hold it. Don't do it. Don't do it. No, no, no, no,_ _no! _ _Aw, shoot! _It came out anyway, followed quickly by a third. Students in his general direction scooted as far away as they could get. Except Neville who tended both Harry's cauldron and his own. Surprised yet thankful there didn't appear to be a fourth, Harry sniffled and tried to rub away his headache.

"Potter, you never answered me."

Harry jumped. He hadn't realized Snape had come to the back of the room. Moving only his eyes, he looked up at the looming professor

"No, sir. I wasn't."

Snape narrowed his eyes as he stared at Harry. "Interrupt my class again and I'll toss you out. It'll be a zero for the day. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Longbottom, leave Potter's cauldron alone. He gets his grades on his own; no help from anyone."

Snape turned away and Harry dropped his head in his hand, feeling all-around miserable again. Snape had taken no more than five steps away from Harry's table when Harry was completely caught by surprise and had no chance of getting it quieted in time. Dang! He should have known he wouldn't stop at three.

Harry, hand over his nose and mouth, looked up in time to see Snape slowly turn back around to face him.

Very deliberately, the man walked back to Harry, leaned in and with an ice cold voice said, "Get out of my classroom. Now."

The Slytherins, naturally, snickered at Harry's misfortune. Angrily, Harry crammed his supply kit into his rucksack, turned off the heat, put on a glove and walked over to a sink to empty and rinse his cauldron. He slipped the rucksack's strap onto his shoulder and headed for the door.

"And Potter? Don't you dare show your face again until this—whatever it is—is gone."

Seething, Harry marched up to his dorm, muttering all the way. Forcefully unzipping his bag once in his room, he took out his Potions supplies, threw them on his bed and tossed in a tablet of parchment, crammed in his Monster Book of Monsters text and tossed the bag onto the floor. Shoving his Potions stuff to the foot of his bed, Harry sat and fumed. It wasn't his fault! He couldn't control it! It wasn't like he _wanted_ to sneeze all the time. Quite frankly, he was developing a pretty bad headache because of it. Gah! Enough already!

Harry exhaled deeply and lay down. Big mistake. All the tension suddenly drained away leaving him feeling relaxed and comfortable. Of their own volition, his eyes closed and Harry nodded off.

0000000000

"Harry!" a feminine voice urgently yet softly called to him. Then a touch on his shoulder.

"Ginny!" a male voice cried in alarm.

Harry startled awake and bolted upright, eyes scanning his surroundings frantically. Ginny stood next to him. It had been she who'd awakened him. Standing not far from the foot of his bed was Ron, wand drawn and pointing in Harry's direction. Hermione stood with Ron, her hand on his wand arm like she was trying to lower it.

"What time is it?"

"Nearly eleven, Harry," Hermione answered. "Are you coming to Care of Magical Creatures?"

Harry massaged his forehead a moment and sighed. "Yeah, I'm coming." He yawned, ran his hand over his face and painfully left the bed.

"Are you sure you're up to it, Harry?" Ginny asked, eying him with concern.

"I'm fine, Ginny," Harry said, trying not to give away how much he hurt.

He grabbed the strap of his bag and hitched it over his shoulder unable to stop the quick little gasp of pain that escaped. Tossing his heavy cloak around him, he stood there facing Ron, whose wand was still out. Ginny noticed the drawn wand and took the few steps necessary to reach her brother and batted his wand away.

"As you can see, I'm fine so put that away before you hurt yourself or someone else with it."

Ron looked extremely reluctant to put away his wand but he no longer had a ready excuse to keep it out so he put it away, mistrust swimming in his hard blue gaze.

"Come on, we barely have time to get down to Hagrid's hut. He's supposed to be teaching us about salamanders today."

As the four of them walked back down the stairs, Ginny broke the silence.

"So, Potions didn't go well, huh?"

"Not, really, no. I guess I'm just lucky he didn't give me detention. He told me not to go back until I was well again which would be fine with me but I have a feeling I'll be back there again soon."

"The git." Ginny wrinkled her nose in distaste. "It's not like you could help it."

Harry shrugged. "Like I said, it could have been worse."

Outside, Hermione grabbed Ron by the arm and forced him to keep walking toward Hagrid's hut and the large bonfire in a paddock next to it. It didn't stop the redhead from watching Harry with narrowed eyes. Harry chose to ignore him and stopped on the path.

"Okay, now tell me how you really feel," Ginny said, her serious eyes watching his every move.

Harry's shoulders drooped. "Not great and with—well, you know—doesn't help, either."

"I figured as much. I'm sorry, Harry."

"Don't worry about it, Ginny. I'll survive."

"At least it's Thursday. The weekend will be here soon. You can sleep all you need to then."

"Yeah, it's just getting to the weekend that'll be the trick. Hey, I better go. I'll see you later."

"I'll see you at lunch."

Ginny watched, concerned for her friend, as Harry plodded his way down the path and over to the paddock. He stood alone, away from the others, dropped his head onto the arm resting along the top of the fence. Even from here she could see how weary he was. Why did Fate have to be so cruel? If anyone deserved a decent life it was Harry. In her opinion, he could do with a nice long break. Too bad Christmas was still a little over a month away.

The thought of Christmas made her panic. What would she get him? She had no money, really. She'd have to give it some thought. The cold wind picked up, reminding her she was outside, in the middle of November. She stayed, watching Harry until Hagrid gathered the class together, then turned and ran up the path and into the castle. An idea had occurred to her so she had a letter to write.

0000000000

Ginny, not having a class that morning, got to the Great Hall a little early for lunch. She hoped to get a chance to speak with Professor Lupin before too many students showed up. The timing gods were on her side. Remus walked into the Great Hall and Ginny jumped up to meet him.

"Professor, may I speak with you a moment?"

"Certainly, Miss Weasley."

Remus led her over to an unpopulated section of the Entrance Hall. "How can I help you?"

"Christmas is coming up," Ginny all but whispered. "and I wanted to know what to do for Harry. I don't have any money, though. What do I do?"

A kind smile graced the man's features. "You've already given him the greatest gift he's ever received. Anything else is unnecessary."

Ginny blushed at the praise but doggedly continued. "And if I wanted to do something else?"

"Then I'd say anything that has personal meaning would be a good idea."

Ginny, exasperated, huffed. "Well, that doesn't help me much."

Remus chuckled. "You'll understand if you just think about it."

The Entrance Hall came alive with the sounds of students flooding in. Remus gave her shoulder a little pat before entering the Great Hall. Ginny decided to wait for Harry before going back inside the Hall. Just as she'd figured, Harry, bag slung across his body, slowly brought up the rear of the pack. His face looked flushed and she worried he was feverish again. She met him halfway across the room.

"Hey, Harry. Are you okay? Dumb question, of course you're not, exactly. You're face is red so I was worried you might be getting sicker."

Her concern sent his stomach quivering again. He didn't think he'd ever get used to someone other than his dad's best friend caring about him. Even Sirius' concern took him by surprise still. That was to be expected, really, since Sirius was busy trying to hunt down Greyback at the moment so wasn't around as much as either of them would have liked. He smiled faintly down at the girl who had so completely slipped past his emotional walls.

"I'm alright, Ginny. We had to get close to the bonfire in order to study those salamanders. That heat was more intense than I thought it would be."

"That's good. That you're not feeling worse, that is. Come on, let's get some lunch." 

Harry was glad she didn't suggest dropping off his school books first. As it was, he seriously considered going to his afternoon classes without the proper books. Or maybe he could just summon them. Wouldn't that be wicked if he could get it to work from that distance? He chuckled at the thought.

"Care to share?"

Harry blinked and turned away from the main staircase. "Oh, sorry. I was just thinking how nice it would be if I could just summon my next classes' books."

"Come eat and then maybe you can try it."

The mischief dancing in her eyes made him laugh. "Yeah, could you imagine? Books, parchments, quills and a bottle of ink flying this way, bouncing off people along the way."

Ginny laughed as she took a spot at the table making the fluttering in his stomach grow more pronounced and Harry fumbled his plate. Ginny gave him a look he couldn't interpret. Harry said a silent thank you to Fate or whatever that his face was already red so his embarrassment could go unnoticed. Hopefully, she just thought he dropped his plate due to being ill. Maybe that's why she gave him that look. He'd been feeling that weird little tickling sensation awhile now. Maybe he should talk with his uncle about it. He gave himself a mental shake.

"I don't know, though," he said, picking up the conversation. "Summoning charms I'm not all that good at. Yes, I can do them but I'm not so sure about this distance. Not to mention it'd be more work if I didn't get it right and everything scattered all over."

"Good point. I still would have loved to have seen that. Maybe we can practice, you know, work on your distance."

Harry's brows jumped. "_In_ the castle?"

"Sure, why not? I could stand on one floor and you could stand on the one above or below it. Or maybe we should start with you at one end of a hallway and me at the other."

Harry mulled it over. It had merit. "Hey, do you think you could help me with that fifth year spell I've been working on?"

"Sure, but I'm not sure how I could help."

"Well, I could try to silence your footsteps or something." A gleam lit his green eyes and a smirk curled upward a corner of his mouth. "Or your voice."

Ginny gasped and started to smack Harry's arm for even suggesting the second one until she saw him flinch a little in expectation of the pain. It served to remind her how close the full moon was again and how much Harry hurt already. She followed through with the motion but gave him a light and playful shove instead. Besides, she hadn't really been upset with him. He didn't tease her often and she liked it when he did.

"Prat," she said with a laugh and dove into her meal.

A wide smile stretched his lips. She'd accepted his teasing for what it had been. He couldn't explain how that made him feel other than to say it felt...good. He turned his attention to his own lunch, the smile never leaving his face.

0000000000

"What are you thinking?" yelled a man, pacing in front of a fire. Another man sat in one of the luxurious chairs close by, seemingly not the least bit bothered by his own shabby appearance or the man's rage. "You're going to mess everything up! I have a plan to get Potter out of the castle for good. I don't need you showing up and putting them on guard."

"I couldn't care less what you need or don't need."

The pacing man's attitude morphed from rage to sly. "What if I could let you have the run of the castle once Potter and all his blood traitor friends are gone? We could turn it into a school for Voldemort. It would be a crushing defeat for Dumbledore. Imagine how we will be rewarded when Voldemort returns and finds his enemies already defeated."

"What makes you think he _is_ coming back? He disappeared when he tried to take out that Potter brat." The unkempt man smiled wickedly. "I got my revenge. I couldn't let him grow up thinking he was a hero."

"I know Voldemort will return. He took steps to insure it. I don't know what those steps were but I'm positive he'll be back. I plan to be ready. Will you join us? Again?"

"Depends. How do you plan to get rid of Potter?"

"Simple. Expose him for what he is. Once the world knows his secret, they'll turn on him just like they've done with every other of your kind. Dumbledore will be sent away for even allowing Potter to attend school and especially not without consulting the other parents."

"And how exactly do you plan to do _that_?"

The man smiled and unpleasant smile. "I have my ways."

"And if you don't succeed?"

"I will. It just may take a little time. Try to be patient. These things can't be rushed."

The seated man narrowed his eyes in an effort to intimidate his companion. "You'd better hope it does."

The sly smile slipped from the other man's face. "Do not threaten me."

"I'll give you the rest of the school year. That's what, a few months? Just remember—I live for revenge."

The man standing smoothed his silken robe, the only sign he was a bit nervous. Feeling his point had been made, the other man stood and left the opulent estate.

0000000000

Finally, classes were finished for the week. He'd made it! Harry tossed his bag into his trunk and collapsed face-down onto his bed, arms and legs splayed across its surface. He felt 80 percent better now. Seriously contemplating just staying there for two days, he yawned. The door opened but Harry ignored it, closing his eyes. He nearly jumped off his bed when he felt a tickle on the back of his leg. As it was he yelped and flipped over.

"Hey!" he cried, laughing. "That tickled!"

"It was supposed to, Harry," Ginny said, a giant mischievous smile on her face, her eyes twinkling.

"You think it's funny, do you?"

"Why, yes, I do, actually."

Harry's gaze turned predatory and Ginny started to back up. Forgetting about his aches and pains, Harry sprang off his bed, caught Ginny and tickled her—everywhere. Twice she nearly got loose so he got her up against a wall and continued the torture.

"Okay! Okay!" Ginny cried between gasps, tears leaking from her eyes. "Please! Harry!"

All of a sudden, Harry's world spun 180 degrees and then pain exploded along his mouth and jaw. Crumpling to the floor, Harry tasted blood. He'd bitten his lip. Harry lay there, unable to believe what just happened.

"I told you to stay the bloody hell away from her! Ginny, I warned you, didn't I? I warned you he'd hurt you."

"Harry!" Ginny knelt over him. "Oh, Harry. Are you okay?" She turned on Harry's attacker.

"What the bloody hell, Ron?"

"He was hurting you. I heard you begging him. You were crying."

Her temper combusted. Advancing on her brother, she yelled, "You bloody _idiot_! He was _tickling_ me! I started it by tickling him! You have _got _to get over whatever it is you have against Harry and leave him alone. And I know just the thing to get my point across."

Before Ron could say a word, she had her wand out and cursed him with her famous hex. Happy with her handiwork, she returned to Harry's side. His lower lip was swollen and bleeding. A bruise already marked the spot Ron's fist had hit. Gingerly, she swiped away some of the blood.

"When you told me you'd be a target, Harry, I never expected it to be from my brother."

_Here it is. Here's where she tells me she's had enough and doesn't want to be friends anymore. I knew it would come eventually. _Harry nodded in resignation and looked away not wanting her to see how upset he was.

"Yeah, I guess not one of my better jokes, huh?"

"What's going on in here?" Hermione asked, taking in Ron's battle with his bogeys and Harry on the floor.

Harry turned back to Ginny, ignoring Hermione completely, a mix of disbelief and joy that she hadn't left him where he sat radiating off him.

"Harry, you didn't think...? When I said, that day, that I'd always be there for you, that you weren't alone anymore, I meant it. You sealed your fate when you stuck up for me against those girls."

"Ginny, take that hex off your brother," Hermione demanded.

Ginny ignored her. "I've been permanently stuck to your side. You can't get rid of me. I'm like a..." She searched for something fitting to compare herself to. "I'm like a garden gnome. I keep coming back."

Harry chuckled. He'd not seen one but having read about them, he knew just how stubborn and difficult to get rid of they could be.

"I get it, Ginny. Thanks."

"What happened to Ron?" Fred asked, walking in on the scene.

"More like, why did Ginny curse him?" George corrected.

"Yes, that's a much better question, Forge."

"Hermione?" the two asked simultaneously.

"I don't know," she yelled, exasperated. "I can't either of them," she waved a hand at the two on the floor, "to answer me."

Ginny helped Harry to his feet and promptly blushed at the crowd gathered around the doorway. She certainly hadn't meant to make a scene but Ron had deserved what he'd gotten. Hermione stood in front of the group, hands on her hips and looking irritated. Fred and George wore matching grins. Others were out in the hallway. Ron was still flapping his hands at his face and yelling.

"What happened? And why did you Bat Bogey Ron?"

"Because Ron was an idiot, that's why." Ginny took Harry's hand and pulled him toward the door. "Harry needs to see Madame Pomfrey so if you lot wouldn't mind getting out of our way..."

The crowd parted for them and Ginny led Harry straight down the stairs. Hermione tried again to get details but Ginny just hollered over her shoulder to ask Ron. She led him all the way to the Hospital Wing, not letting go of Harry's hand until Madame Pomfrey came out of her office. The loss of contact stirred within him a longing for it again. Confused, he turned his attention to the nurse.

"This will be easy to fix. Just be still." Poppy waved her wand over Harry's mouth. Then she slathered a thin layer of bruise paste over his jaw. "There, that should do it. Now, care to explain what happened?"

Harry hesitated but Ginny had no such qualms. "Ron hit Harry. He's had it in for Harry from the beginning. Typical Ron, he saw something, misinterpreted it and reacted."

"What exactly did he misinterpret?" Poppy asked, suddenly wary.

Both kids' faces turned bright red but for two different reasons. Ginny knew exactly what the nurse was inferring. Harry was embarrassed at getting caught acting so...silly.

Chin up, Ginny met the woman's eyes. "Harry was tickling me and I was begging him to stop. Ron came in, heard me and pulled Harry away from me."

If Harry had been looking, he'd have seen the the quick smile that momentarily lit the nurse's features. But he missed it; his eyes were fixed on the wall behind her.

"Harry," she tenderly got his attention, "it's great to see you having some fun."

Surprised at her words, Harry could barely speak. "Y-you're not going to say anything to Uncle Remus?"

"That'll be up to Miss Weasley."

"I'm writing Mum again."

Harry whipped around to his companion, suddenly fearful. "Again? Ginny don't. It's okay."

"No, Harry, it isn't. Ron hasn't let it go so it's time to call in Mum."

"But Ginny, I don't want to cause any-"

"Don't worry, Harry. Mum already loves you and I'm hoping she'll let you come over during the Christmas holidays."

"She what?" Harry was stuck on the 'already loves you' part.

Ginny gave him an overly innocent look. "You think I haven't written home to my Mum about my best friend?"

"Ginny, you didn't-?"

"Of course not, Harry. I just told her how sweet you are and how much you've helped me." She giggled as she watched his face turn red. "I think she'd adopt you if she could."

"She wouldn't if she knew."

"Harry," Ginny, hands on her hips, fully faced him. "that wouldn't matter to her. She and Dad have taught us to look beyond the things that make us different, to find the common ground. Trust me. I know what I'm talking about."

Reluctantly, Harry nodded his acceptance.

"Alright, then. Off you two go. It's suppertime."

"Thanks, Madame Pomfrey."

"You're welcome, Harry. And I'm glad to see you're feeling better."

Harry _was _feeling better. He'd sneezed only once during Charms, twice during Defense and none at all during History. His headache was gone, his throat didn't hurt. Yes, definitely on the mend. That's not to say he didn't hurt at all, but that was another matter entirely.

"Yeah," Ginny agreed, after a few minutes of silence, as they headed down to supper, "you look a lot better than you did yesterday. Does it always go by so quickly?"

"Usually. The first two days are the worst because it comes on so suddenly. Seven days later, it's gone as if it had never been around. It's kind of weird."

"Well, anyway, I'm glad you're better."

"Thanks. Me, too." He spied his uncle heading down the stairs and called out to him to wait. He turned back to Ginny. "There's something I need to talk to him about. Do you mind if I catch up to you in a few minutes?"

"Sure, Harry. I'll see you, later."

Ginny greeted Remus, which he returned, and continued on down the stairs. Turning back to Harry, he asked. "What can I help you with?"

Harry cast a furtive glance around, saw that more students were coming and moved out the way. The two walked down to the ground floor, neither speaking. By mutual agreement, they stepped over to a secluded corner. Harry could feel the heat in his face but forced the words out anyway.

"I want to get Ginny something for Christmas but I haven't a clue what to get her. What do I do?"

A corner of the man's mouth twitched but it was the only outward sign of amusement. "That's a tough one, Harry." He lay a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I'm sure she'd like whatever you were to give her."

He nearly laughed aloud at the frustrated expression that crossed Harry's face. "However, you can't go wrong with something that has meaning, something personal."

Harry nodded, looked around again and then asked, "Can we go to your quarters a minute?"

"Sure, Harry."

Sensing something serious was coming, Remus walked with Harry to his door, unlocked it and ushered Harry inside. The went and sat on the couch.

"Now, what's worrying you?"

Now, that he had the older man's attention, Harry wasn't sure how to go about saying it. After a few false starts, he blurted it out.

"Sometimes I feel kind of funny. I mean, I get this...tickling feeling... here," he palmed his stomach, "and sometimes it feels all nervous-like and then here," his hand slid up to his chest, "tightens up and it's hard to breathe, but...it's not a _bad_ feeling. More often than not, it's a really _good _feeling. I just can't explain it. What's wrong with me?"

Remus pursed his lips, rubbed his chin. "Well, when was the last time you felt this way? How often have you felt this way?"

"It's been off and on for a little while now. I guess I kind of felt that way earlier today when I was with Ginny. Come to think of it, I'm usually around Ginny when it happens, sometimes when she touches my hand or my arm and other times when she doesn't. I really like it when she does touch me."

Remus toyed with his bottom lip in an effort to not smile. That answered the question of whether Harry had noticed Ginny was a girl. Merlin, he sounded just like James had. Now, how should he handle this?

"Tell me something, Harry. What do you think of Ginny?"

"What do you mean?"

"Just that. What do you think of her? How does she make you feel?"

Harry looked unsure of the point of the questions but answered them anyway. "Well, she's great. I mean, she's been so nice to me, even after everything she's found out." He started to smile. "I feel really good when I can make her laugh. And, well, she can make the day seem better."

"If you were to describe her to me, as if I hadn't met her, how would you do it?"

"Er, well, she's stubborn, strong, but also sensitive. She has a temper but she keeps it in check pretty well. She's smart and funny; she loves a good prank. She plays Quidditch."

"Okay, you've told me about her personality. Now, tell me about her physical features. How would you tell me she looked?"

"Okay, er, well, her long hair is a fiery red color but it also has lighter colors of red in it too. It's kind of pretty, especially when the sun hits it just right, and it smells like some kind of sweet flower. She has light brown eyes, kind of...I don't know...the color of honey, I suppose, that...well...sparkle."

Harry could feel his face burning and he didn't dare to look his uncle in the eyes. The man cleared his throat and took a breath before responding.

"Well, Harry, it seems to me as if you already have your answer. You just have to figure it out on your own."

"What? You're not going to explain anything?"

"This is one time in which I can't. Sorry, Pup. Tell me this, though. Do these feelings make you uncomfortable? Do you mind them?"

"That's the funny part. I don't. I actually kind of like them."

"Then I say just go with it. Enjoy those sensations and think it all through. I know you'll figure it out."

"Well, okay. I should probably get to supper anyway."

"Yes, you should," Remus agreed, barely containing his smile.

After seeing Harry out, Remus leaned on his door and snickered. He almost wished he could be there when Harry finally figured out what was going on. In all honesty, he couldn't have picked a better girl to catch Harry's interest. He couldn't wait to see Sirius and tell him of this latest development. He sighed. Little Harry wasn't so little anymore.

0000000000

"Sorry that took longer than I thought it would."

"You don't have to apologize, Harry. You can talk to whomever you want whenever you want."

Harry gave her a brief smile before digging into his supper.

"Everything's okay, right?"

Harry, caught with his mouth full, nodded. Once he was able, he replied with, "Yeah, no worries. Just something I wanted to talk about."

"Good."

About that time, a decrepit-looking owl flew in, envelope flapping in the breeze. Since the mail ordinarily came in the mornings, the owl caught lots of attention, many pairs of eyes following its progress all the way to the Gryffindor table and therefore saw it crash land in front of Ginny, knocking over her pumpkin juice.

Hiding her embarrassment with irritation, she huffed. "Errol, you menace. Here, let me take that letter before you completely ruin it."

While Ginny retrieved her letter, Harry sopped up the juice and refilled her goblet.

"Thanks, Harry."

She settled down to read the note. Less than a few seconds later, she was beaming and showing Harry how it had been addressed.

"She included you, Harry."

Harry was stunned. She really had included him. His breath hitched slightly as a strong emotion he couldn't name filled him until he thought he'd burst with it. A huge smile slid across his face. Ginny continued reading her letter. Maybe a minute later, she gave a little joyful cry.

"Yes! She's inviting you to spend Christmas with us, you and-" She almost said Professor Lupin but corrected herself in time. "-and your uncle. She says you're welcome to come over as often as you like." Ginny looked up at her friend and smirked, a playful light dancing in her eyes. "I told you she loves you already."

0000000000

After Harry's fifth stifled yawn, Ginny grabbed his quill and snapped his book shut. "Go lie down, Harry. I'll wake you in an hour."

The full moon had come the previous night and now Harry could barely keep his eyes open. He, Hermione and Ginny were sitting in a partially empty common room at one of the study tables trying to get the rest of their work done. When Ginny spoke, he stared at her, uncomprehendingly, for a moment until his fatigued brain caught up.

"I just have a little bit left. I can finish it."

Ginny snorted. "You'd better look again, Harry. Half your essay is gibberish."

Sure enough, the last few paragraphs made absolutely no sense whatsoever. Groaning pitifully, Harry crumpled the parchment into a loose ball and sighed. He felt Ginny's hand on his back and his insides gave a little quiver.

"Go on, Harry. The couch is free. You're not going to do yourself any good like this." He eyed the extremely inviting couch and she took his sleeve. "Come on. You'll feel better and you know it."

Grabbing a throw pillow from one of the chairs, she set it at one end of the couch and eased Harry down, effectively hiding his grimace. As before, he was out the instant he was horizontal. A cold draft blew through the room. That was one thing she hated about the castle in the winter—the drafts. Spying a blanket over the back of another chair, she used it to cover Harry. Returning to Hermione, she noticed the girl had a silly grin on her face.

"What?" Ginny asked, fighting off the heat threatening to stain her entire face.

"It's just...you look so cute together, the way you take care of him and the way he lets you. It's sweet."

"Well, his uncle isn't here so someone has to."

"Uh huh." Hermione didn't believe it was so innocent and it showed. "One day, Ginny, he'll come around."

Ginny sighed. "I hope so."

"Hey, Hermione, sorry to interrupt, but I'm not getting the Charms assignment. Can you help me?"

The two girls turned to Neville. Ginny moved some things around and made room for Neville. She also stacked Harry's books and parchments into a neat pile.

"Have a seat, Neville," Hermione offered. "I'd be happy to help you."

"Thanks. I really appreciate it." He briefly glanced at Harry's books and tossed a glance over his shoulder toward the couch. "Is he okay? Is he really sick or something? I mean, he seems to sleep a lot and he gets really pale sometimes. And I've noticed there's times when he moves like he's hurting. I was just wondering if maybe he was seriously ill, you know, like some disease or something."

Hermione and Ginny exchanged looks. Following Hermione's look of caution, Ginny turned to Neville and said what she could.

"Yes, Neville. Harry _is _sick. And it _is _something that keeps coming back. I can't tell you anything else though."

"That's okay, Ginny. Thank you for telling me that much." He glanced over his shoulder again. "It's too bad. He's so strong magically. He does things in Charms class that's beyond our level. And Defense class? Professor Lupin has been teaching us some basic spells but Harry's beyond that too."

Neville fiddled with his text. Staring at the table, he softly spoke his next words. "There's some talk going around about Harry. Some say he's a git who thinks we're beneath him." He looked up at the girls and rushed out, "I don't think that. I just think he hasn't been around many people. Maybe he's just feeling a little overwhelmed or something."

"There's lots of gits at this school but Harry isn't one of them," Ginny retorted, getting peeved. "I'm sure my brother is helping with that opinion, too, isn't he?"

"Er, well," Neville hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's okay, Neville, we know," Hermione said, taking pity on the boy.

"I've tried to tell everyone to give him a chance but..."

"Harry doesn't make it easy," Ginny finished for him. "I know. He just doesn't trust people very easily." She cocked her head to the side as a thought occurred to her. "Why don't you hang out with us, Neville? Harry could use all the real friends he could get."

"That would be nice but maybe you should talk to Harry first. He may not feel the same way you do."

"He will. You'll see."

"In the meantime, how about that homework?" Hermione redirected their attention.

0000000000

An hour later, Ginny woke Harry up and reminded him he had an essay to rewrite. Just in time, too, as a rowdy group of sixth year boys entered the common room, laughing and almost shouting. Grumbling a little, Harry sat down at the table again, still looking pale and tired. As he pulled out his parchment and ink, he greeted the other boy.

"Hi, Neville." Harry paused, then looked Neville in the eye. "I want to say sorry for not being very friendly that day outside the greenhouse, when you came up to me. I wasn't very happy at the time. That's no excuse for rudeness, though."

"That's okay, Harry. I understand."

"I also know that some people are talking about me; I've heard them. I appreciate you taking up for me. I didn't expect that since you don't even know me."

Neville shrugged. "I don't care much for those who talk of things they know nothing about. Anyone else would have done the same."

"That's just it, Neville. They didn't. No one even tried. Then Ginny started sitting with me during meals and you know how she can be."

Ginny, in mock outrage, started to smack Harry, but ended up giving him a little shove instead. A fact that didn't go unnoticed by Neville; however, the third year chose not to mention it. He grinned at their byplay and went back to his essay.

Harry began his essay but within a few minutes stopped again. "Hey, I need to work on a spell for Charms. Would you three be willing to help me?"

"What kind of spell, Harry?"

"Actually it's two spells. I want to practice long-distance Summoning. The spell I really need to work on since it's my extra credit work for class is a Silencing spell."

"That's a fifth year spell, Harry."

"I'm well aware of that, Hermione. Professor Flitwick okay-ed it as long as I kept a record of my progress. So far I haven't made any progress but then I haven't worked on it for awhile either." He looked around at them. "So, willing to help?"

"You know I am," Ginny instantly replied.

"Sure, Harry," Neville said with a shrug.

"Of course, I will, Harry. It'll be exciting to learn a new spell."

Neville looked at Ginny and the both of them started laughing. They were both thinking the same thing, 'Typical Hermione'.

Lunch came and went. The four of them now stood in the seventh floor corridor, a few feet from Gryffindor Tower's entrance, Harry at the far end, wand out and facing the girls and Neville. Each of the three held something different, varying in size, in their hands.

"Okay, Harry," Hermione instructed, sounding very much like a professor. "Easy one first. We'll start with my pillow."

Harry nodded, aimed his wand at the square throw pillow that had been borrowed from the common room and cast his spell. It jumped out of her hands and soared into Harry's waiting hands.

"Okay, well, it looks like you're okay with that. Try Ginny's next."

Ginny held Harry's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them textbook. Again, Harry aimed his wand and cast the spell. As before, the book arced its way into Harry's hands.

"I don't think you're going to have any trouble with this distance, Harry, but try Neville's anyway."

From this distance, Harry could barely make out the small bottle of ink. Taking a deep breath to help him concentrate, he aimed and cast. If it wasn't for Harry's quick reflexes, he'd have been hit. As it was, he barely caught it.

"Whoa. That one I could barely see."

"But you still did it," Hermione encouraged him. "Maybe we should go down to the next floor. You'd stay up here, of course, Harry."

"Alright. Let's try it."

The three went down to the next floor and signaled to Harry when they were ready. Using his hearing, he was able to discern where they were standing and aimed in that direction. Deciding to forego the bigger objects, Harry summoned the ink bottle. It bounced around on the floor below before getting part of the way up to him before it fell to the ground. Thankfully, it didn't shatter.

"Harry, what was that?" Hermione called from below, sound a little annoyed. "Why did you try for Neville's first?"

Harry stood at the rail and looked downward. "Just thought I'd try it to see what would happen. Neville, smart thinking putting on the unbreakable charm."

Neville blushed. "My Gran put it on. I'm a bit of a klutz."

"Oh." For an awkward few seconds, no one said anything. Then, "Well, still a good thing."

Neville retrieved the ink bottle from the stairs and rejoined the others. Harry summoned his text from Ginny, heard it bounce around before falling onto the stairs, only this time a little farther up than the ink bottle had reached.

"Well, that was a little better, I suppose," Harry mumbled to himself.

"Not bad, Harry," Hermione called up after seeing where the book had landed. "Much better than we could have done.

"Not bad but not good enough, either. Let me try the pillow."

He got back into position. Just as he was about to summon the pillow, he heard something behind him. Turning, he saw nothing but emptiness. Putting it down to just the wind finding its way into the castle, he turned back around. Raising his wand to cast the spell, he began to shake—the same shaking he suffered through before a transformation. Breathing became difficult. _Oh, no! This cannot be happening! What's going on? _He gasped as a pain seared through his gut, doubling him over.

"Ginny!" he gasped. _This is not good. Not good. _"**Ginny!"**

Three sets of feet rushed up the stairs. Ginny knelt beside him.

"What's wrong, Harry?"

"You have to get me out of here," he panted and let out a loud moan as another searing pain tore through him. "I'm not safe, Ginny."

"Harry, what-?"

Ginny gasped when she managed to see Harry's eyes. Yellow. Wolf yellow. This was _not _good.

"I'm not safe," he whispered. "I have to get out of here."

"What's the matter with Harry?" Neville asked.

Ginny turned to Hermione. She'd knelt on Harry's other side and had seen his eyes, as well. Ginny was drawing a blank on what course of action to take, Harry's groans and gasps getting louder. Hermione jumped up and blocked Neville's view.

"Neville, go get Professor McGonagall. Hurry!"

Neville took off and Hermione refocused on Harry and gasped. His hands were already changing, slowly curling inward, and Harry had bitten his lip to keep from screaming. The bushy-haired girl paced back and forth, zooming through her knowledge of the castle, trying to figure out where Harry could safely go.

"Hermione, look!"

A door had appeared in the wall. Hermione opened the door and looked in. "It's a giant room. The castle must have made it. It's perfect. Quick. Let's get Harry inside."

"I can do it," he gasped. "Just go. I don't want to hurt you."

He tried to stand but his legs wouldn't hold him. He screamed as the pressure built inside him. Afraid someone had heard Harry, the girls each grabbed an arm and hauled him into the magical room. Just in time. Another scream echoed in the room, accompanied by the ripping of fabric.

"Go!" Harry barely managed to say. "Please. I'm not-"

An even more tortured scream left him. The change was fully in progress now and it was happening much more quickly than usual. His bones and muscles shifted mercilessly. His nerves burned white-hot. The pressure magnified.

"-safe." It was the last thing he said. Then there were nothing but his agonized cries.

The girls watched helplessly, until the clothes came off, as their friend endured the transformation again. Neither thought of the danger to themselves. At the end, the human cry-turned-canine yowl made them both shudder. It also served to bring Hermione back to reality.

"Ginny," she tugged on the girl's arm, "we've got to get out of here. He's dangerous now."

"I can't leave him."

Their voices caught the wolf's attention and he stood, hackles raised and began growling. Then in one quick motion, it pounced. It never reached them. An invisible barrier blocked the charge. The black wolf bounced off harmlessly. It came back again and again, snapping,scratching and leaping, doing its level best to break through.

"Oh, Harry," Ginny whispered, getting an uncomfortably close look at the very sharp teeth. "What happened?"

"Come on, Ginny," Hermione tugged again. "That's not Harry. Not right now."

"It's still Harry."

"Ginny don't delude yourself. If he got through, he'd attack you. He wouldn't be able to help it. Imagine how he'd feel when he found out he turned you."

"I'm not leaving, Hermione," Ginny stubbornly said, squaring her shoulders. "The castle put up the barrier. It protected us. It's not going to let us get hurt. You go. Someone needs to be out there when McGonagall comes."

It was obvious the girl didn't want to leave but she couldn't deny someone needed to be out in the corridor.

"Alright." She gave a teary hug to her friend and walked back out the door.

Ginny turned back to the creature before her still trying to get through to her. Yes, she was scared, she'd be stupid not to be, but she felt the barrier would hold. She winced as the wolf launched itself at the see-through wall again. He was going to really hurt when he came back to himself.

Several minutes passed before the door opened again. Their Head of House rushed in, wand drawn, and hurried over to Ginny, a Stunning spell on her lips.

"Don't, Professor," Ginny begged. "He can't get through."

McGonagall backed the young girl away from the barrier, wand still at the ready just in case.

"I sent Neville to get Remus and Dumbledore. Miss Granger, step out and watch for them."

"Yes, Professor."

"Miss Weasley...Ginny. What happened?"

Ginny wiped away her tears and tried to steady her breathing. "I don't know. We were helping Harry practice long-distance summoning and then suddenly he collapsed in pain. His eyes had gone completely yellow. Hermione sent Neville to get you and then this room appeared. We managed to get Harry in here. The barrier showed up after he turned into the wolf and just as he tried to attack us."

"You shouldn't have stayed in here. It could have been disastrous."

"I couldn't leave him, Professor," Ginny said, beginning to feel irritated.

"I commend you on your loyalty, Miss Weasley, but I-"

The door opened and the Headmaster walked in along with Snape. A few minutes later, Remus joined them. Hermione and Neville had been sent back to the common room. Remus looked upon the black wolf with concern. Snape's expression gave nothing away. Dumbledore appeared worried.

"This shouldn't have happened," Remus said, shaking his head. "How could this have happened?"

"Was there anything unusual that happened last night, Remus?"

"No, nothing. Everything happened as it usually did. Harry didn't seem to have any unusual problems going through the change, either at moonrise or sunrise."

He walked over to the invisible wall and placed his hand upon it. The black wolf continued to leap at the wall but it was obvious it was tiring.

"Miss Weasley, I hate to ask this of you," the Headmaster kindly said, "but we need to know exactly what occurred in order to figure out how to get Harry back and to figure out what brought on another transformation."

Ginny nodded. "I understand, Professor."

She went through the events again.

"And you saw nothing out of the ordinary? You saw no one around you?"

"No, but we were all down on the sixth floor. I'm so sorry that we left him alone."

Remus left the wall and embraced the youngest Weasley. "Hey, you were helping Harry. You couldn't have seen this coming. No one could have. He'll be the first to tell you this wasn't your fault."

Remus looked back over his shoulder. "Albus, could a spell have done this?"

A moment of silence followed his question. "You mean like the animagus reversal spell?" McGonagall asked, catching on to his thinking.

"Yes, something like that. Could it be modified to force a werewolf to change?"

At a loss, she shrugged. "It's possible, I suppose."

Dumbledore turned to their resident expert on the Dark Arts. "Severus, do you know of anyone using this type of spell? Have you heard of it having been used previously?"

"I haven't, Headmaster. However, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility. The Dark Lord's followers were always coming up with new ways to strike fear into the hearts of the innocent."

"To be certain if any spell has been cast, we'll need to check him. Minerva, escort Miss Weasley into the corridor."

"You're not going to hurt him, are you?" Ginny turned fearful eyes to Harry's uncle.

"No, we're just going to stun him so we can check. Once we know if he was hit by a spell and perhaps by _what _spell, we'll know how to deal with it."

"Okay."

McGonagall lay a gentle hand on Ginny's shoulder and led her out to wait in the corridor.

"Alright. Stun first," Albus instructed. "Once he's down, I'll perform the charm to reveal if any spells had been cast against him. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Headmaster."

"Of course, Albus."

"Now, how do we get this wall down?"

A slight shimmering answered his question. The disappearing wall caught the wolf's attention and he lunged. Three jets of light hit him and he went down. Another jet of light hit, creating a glow around the wolf, faint ribbons of colored light swirled through it with one darker color.

"That is the most recent spell cast. Do you recognize it at all, Severus?"

Snape studied it, nodding after a minute or two. "It does appear to be a modified animagus reversal spell." He met the Headmaster's worried gaze. "It would seem someone else in this castle has knowledge of Potter's secret and is trying to reveal it."

"I would suggest looking at young Malfoy," Remus put in. "On more than one occasion, he's hinted he knew of Harry's secret. He's publicly linked Harry to werewolves a few times."

"But is young Draco magically capable of this? Severus? You know him best."

"He doesn't appear to be but it could be a ruse."

"Well, now that we know..."

Remus walked over to the still unconscious wolf and pointed his wand. The instant the spell hit the wolf, it began to whine, the change beginning again.

"The Homorphus Charm?"

Remus threw a quick glance back at the older man. "Yes. Even though Lockhart was a fraud, he managed to teach the kids something. The Homorphus Charm _will_ force a werewolf to return to human form."

Remus conjured a blanket for Harry for when the transformation was complete. It took several agonizing minutes, but finally the man could gather Harry, cocooned in the blanket, into his arms. He worried what another shift so closely on the heels of the last would do to him. As it was, the boy was limp, barely conscious and trembling.

"I'm taking him to the Hospital Wing."

"Naturally."

Albus stepped outside to check for students. Once clear, he waved Remus forward.

"We'll uncover the truth, Remus. That's a promise."

"It had better be soon. I'm not above taking Harry out of Hogwarts if I need to."

With that parting shot, Remus strode quickly down the corridor, McGonagall and Ginny in his wake.


End file.
